Duke will be without Maliq Brown for “weeks, maybe longer,” with a sprained knee.

That was the news from coach Jon Scheyer on Monday morning’s ACC teleconference.

“He sprained his knee and he’ll miss an extended period of time here,” Scheyer said via Zoom. “Could be longer, but he’s going to be out for the next several games, minimum.”

Brown was in Saturday’s 86-78 win over Notre Dame for less than a minute. Teammate Mason Gillis fell into the back of Brown’s right knee after a layup, with the 6-9, 222-pounder crumpling after the hit. Brown was subbed out of the game at the next stoppage, received medical attention on the bench, and was ruled out of the game before the first half ended.

Brown, according to EvanMiya.com, is Duke’s third-most valuable defensive player (behind Cooper Flagg and Kon Knueppel).

“Look, there’s no replacing Maliq’s versatility and what he does on that end with deflections and steals,” Scheyer said. “It’s a big loss. The reality, though, I don’t think he’s been quite right. He had the toe injury that he was still recovering from. I think this is a chance for him to get really right and get back to the level where he was playing.”

In Brown’s absence, freshman Patrick Ngongba II played 5 minutes in the first half. He made the only shot he took, a smooth hook in the middle of the paint, and had one rebound.

Scheyer reiterated that he has “a ton of confidence” in Ngongba.

Mostly, it was freshman Khaman Maluach stepping into a lead role without Brown. The freshman from South Sudan scored a season-high 19 points; was 6-for-7 from the field and 7-for-8 from the free-throw line; had 10 rebounds for his second double-double; and perhaps most importantly, played a season-high 32 minutes.

When neither Maluach nor Ngongba was in the game against the Irish, Duke’s lineup was smaller —Flagg (6-9) as the only player taller than 6-7 — but was able to switch 1-through-5.

Having Flagg, who has emerged as the favorite to win national player of the year, play the 5-spot isn’t something Scheyer wants to do.

“I don’t want to screw anything up with him,” Scheyer said of his prized freshman. “I think he needs to stay the course with where he’s at. But obviously his versatility is a key thing and that’s why he and Maliq go so well together.

“With Mason and (Ngongba and Maluach), we have other guys who can bang and guard 5s. I would rather Cooper not do that, though he can switch 1-through-5 and that versatility is an important thing for our team. But he needs to keep focusing on what he’s doing and where his game is going right now.”