Duke Basketball Team Embraces 'Big-Time Evolution'

Maliq Brown spent the entire preseason recovering from a minor procedure on his left knee. The Duke basketball senior forward sat out the Blue-White scrimmage at Countdown to Craziness, as well as the No. 6-ranked Blue Devils' pair of exhibition wins.

But Brown returned just in time for the season opener on Tuesday night and contributed off the bench, albeit while shaking off some rust, to Duke's 75-60 victory over the unranked Texas Longhorns in Charlotte's Spectrum Center. He finished with three points, one rebound, one assist, one steal, and three turnovers, shooting 1-for-3 from the field, 0-for-1 from three, and 1-for-1 at the foul line, before fouling late in the contest.

Duke basketball forward Maliq Brown — Nov 4, 2025; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Duke Blue Devils forward Maliq Brown (6) passes the ball in warm ups against the Texas Longhorns before the Dick Vitale’s Invitational game at Spectrum Center. Mandatory Credit: Cory Knowlton-Imagn Images | Cory Knowlton-Imagn Images

Jon Scheyer on Maliq Brown's Promising Return to the Court

There's no doubt fourth-year Blue Devil head coach Jon Scheyer hopes his group fully benefits from the addition of the former Syracuse Orange transfer and All-ACC Defensive Team selection to what is already a deep rotation, yet now a full-strength unit for the first time with Brown's return to the court.

"I think the thing to understand is that this is our fifth day together as a team," Scheyer pointed out following the come-from-behind, defensive-minded win over the Longhorns. "Maliq Brown, it's great to see him back out there. Obviously, he's still working through a lot."

Duke basketball head coach Jon Scheyer — Oct 8, 2025; Charlotte, NC, USA; Duke head coach Jon Scheyer answers questions from the media at The Hilton Charlotte Uptown. Mandatory Credit: William Howard-Imagn Images | William Howard-Imagn Images

Scheyer noted the overall impact of his return.

"Lineups, rotations, things we're doing, this is a big-time evolution," Scheyer said in breaking down the importance of getting minutes from Brown, both in practice and in games. "Where we're going, it's a long way away from where we are versus where we're going. But we're going there with some big-time competitors and some big-time players.”

Full presser following last night's game pic.twitter.com/CoKg3zsVVz
— Duke Men’s Basketball (@DukeMBB) November 6, 2025

The 21-year-old Maliq Brown is now in his second year with the Blue Devils after spending two seasons with the Orange. Across 26 appearances last season for a team that recorded 35 wins and reached the Final Four, The Culpeper, Va., native averaged 3.0 points, 1.0 rebounds, 1.0 assists, and 1.3 steals in his 15.8 minutes per game.

He and the full-strength Blue Devils are now gearing up for their home opener, a Saturday matinee showdown versus the unranked Western Carolina Catamounts. Duke and Western Carolina tip off in Cameron Indoor Stadium at 1:30 p.m. ET (The CW).

Stay tuned to Duke Blue Devils On SI for more updates on the 2025-26 Blue Devils and other Duke basketball news.