Khaman Maluach officially signs with Duke

Duke locked in the final player of its six-player incoming freshman class with Wednesday’s announcement that Khaman Maluach has signed.

Maluach is a 7-2, 250-pound center from South Sudan who has been mentored by former Blue Devil Luol Deng. He doesn’t have a ranking in the Rivals150 because he’s an international prospect — the same was true for Tyrese Proctor two years ago — but he is a 5-star addition and is expected to be a lottery pick in next year’s NBA draft.

“I am really excited to welcome Khaman Maluach to Duke,” Duke coach Jon Scheyer said through a news release. “Joining us from South Sudan and NBA Academy Africa, Khaman brings an incredible perspective and unique talents to our program. …

“Khaman can score inside and out, handle the ball, and protect the rim at a high level. His vocal leadership, the energy and enthusiasm that he plays with, and his commitment to winning above individual statistics stood out to me when watching him throughout the recruiting process.”

Of note here is that Maluach will have a later start than Duke’s other freshmen — Cooper Flagg, Isaiah Evans, Kon Knueppel, Darren Harris and Patrick Ngongba II — in arriving on Duke’s campus.

Maluach helped South Sudan qualify for the 2024 Olympics and will play for his native country this summer. South Sudan is one of eight countries locked into the current field (four more spots are left to be claimed), and is set to be in Group C with the United States and Serbia.

“We are anxious to get to work with Khaman after he competes in the Olympics this summer with Luol Deng and the South Sudanese National Team,” Scheyer’s statement ended.

The group phase is set to begin July 27 in Paris; the Olympics go to Aug. 10.

Maluach, per Duke’s release, only started playing basketball five years ago. He has a 7-5 wingspan and 9-8 standing reach. He joined the NBA Africa Academy, which is in Senegal, in 2021.

Deng is the South Sudan Basketball Federation president.