Duke Basketball Sees 'Top Three Pick' in Rookie Khaman Maluach

Duke basketball one-and-done Cooper Flagg is all but certain to go No. 1 overall at the 2025 NBA Draft, June 25-26. After that, the Blue Devils could produce two more lottery picks in freshmen Khaman Maluach and Kon Knueppel, but there's no telling which one will come off the board first.

ALSO READ: Chance Duke Fully Landing Cedric Coward May Be Falling Fast

Evidently, though, the Duke basketball social media team believes Maluach should join Flagg among the top three selections in Brooklyn's Barclays Center.

Responding to a post from ESPN's Jonathan Givony, in which the renowned analyst notes the improvements that Maluach has put on full display during the pre-draft process this week, the Blue Devils' account chimed in with its "Top 3 pick" forecast for the 7-foot-2, 250-pound center from South Sudan:

Top 3 pick https://t.co/XzdmPbJbbB
— Duke Men’s Basketball (@DukeMBB) May 1, 2025

"Projected top-10 pick Khaman Maluach looks fantastic working out in the pre-draft process," Givony wrote above his posted highlights of the 18-year-old in action.

"Moving and getting off the floor extremely well, and made significant gains with his skill-level, footwork and touch over the past year at Duke."

Maluach, only about five years removed from first picking up a basketball, started all 39 games for a Duke squad that finished 35-4 overall and reached the Final Four in Jon Scheyer's third season at the helm in Durham. He averaged 8.6 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 1.3 blocks in 21.2 minutes per game, shooting 71.2 percent from the field and 76.6 percent at the line.

Stay tuned to Duke Blue Devils On SI for more Duke basketball news.