Duke doesn’t need Coach K to keep recruiting at an elite level. The Blue Devils’ next superteam is coming, and it might be their most talented ever.
Duke men’s basketball hasn’t just maintained its elite recruiting pull since legedary head coach Mike Krzyzewski finally retired in 2022 — it’s arguably gotten even better. New head coach Jon Scheyer landed the country’s No. 1 recruiting class in 2023, his first year on the job, with a haul led by three top-five prospects in the country in Kyle Filipowski, Dereck Lively, and Dariq Whitehead. His 2024 recruiting class led by Jared McCain and Caleb Foster finished No. 2 in the country, only behind Kentucky.
As he approaches his third year on the job, Scheyer has his best class yet. Duke’s 2025 recruiting class is so impressive there’s an argument that it’s one of the best in the modern history of the sport.
Khaman Maluach, a 7’2 center from South Sudan developing in NBA Academy Africa, committed to the Duke on Wednesday to fortify its historic recruiting haul. Maluach’s combination of elite size and strength, impressive mobility, and burgeoning skill level will make him a front-runner to be selected No. 2 overall in 2025 NBA Draft … only behind future Duke teammate Cooper Flagg.
Duke’s 2025 recruiting haul doesn’t end there. The Blue Devils also have commitments from No. 12 overall player 6’6 wing Isaiah Evans (No. 12 overall, per 247 Sports), 6’5 shooter Kon Knueppel (No. 17 overall), 6’11 big man Patrick Ngongba (No. 18 overall), and 6’6 wing Derren Harris (No. 50 overall). While Maluach isn’t placed in rankings as an international prospect, he’s widely considered a top-five player in the class. That essentially gives Duke five top-20 incoming freshman, plus another top-50 player.
The last Duke team with this much future NBA starpower was the 2018 team that featured Zion Williamson, R.J. Barrett, Cam Reddish, and Tre Jones. When you factor in the superior depth of the incoming 2025 class, there’s a case to be made that Scheyer just put together a recruiting class better than anything Coach K ever assembled.
The Flagg-Maluach front line is going to be absurdly talented. We ranked Flagg as the best NBA prospect in high school basketball regardless of class this summer, and as the second-best Duke recruit ever. A 6’9 forward with a 7-foot wingspan, Flagg is a dominant defensive forward with a terrifying combination of athleticism, motor, and feel for the game. His offensive continues to develop nicely, showing nice touch on catch-and-shoot three-pointers, the ability to attack the rim off the dribble, and make some fantastic passing reads. Flagg would be the no doubt No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft if he could enter out of high school. Instead, he’ll be a Duke one-and-done phenom on the level of Zion. While he’s not a Victor Wembanyama-caliber NBA talent, he only a cut below.
Maluach has only been playing basketball for five years, but already has an awesome resume building. He first gained major notoriety playing for South Sudan in the 2023 FIBA World Cup as a 16-year-old, helping his country qualify for the 2024 Paris Olympics. He’s also been named MVP of Basketball Without Borders and put on an impressive showing during a prospect run at NBA All-Star Weekend last month.
Maluach should still be thought of as a long-term prospect, but his tools are incredible. He’s going to be a bully inside with wide shoulders and a strong frame. He’s impossibly long, with a reported 9’8 standing reach that’s an inch longer than Wembanyama’s. He has a confident if still developing three-point stroke, and he looks comfortable making decisions as a passer. His defense should be ahead of his offense as a freshman at Duke, where he can impact the game as a rim protector and shot blocker simply by being huge and able to absorb contact.
When we release our first 2025 NBA mock draft this summer, Flagg will be No. 1 and Maluach will likely be No. 2. Evans is also tracking as a lottery pick right now as a 6’6 wing with tremendous defensive intensity and touch shot-making ability. That doesn’t even factor in Duke’s returning players.
The Blue Devils still have a chance to win the ACC this year. They are tracking as a No. 3 seed in our latest bracketology projection. Filipowski and McCain will both likely declare for the draft, and we have each of them as top-15 picks right now. The scary thing is that it’s possible the rest of the most important rotation pieces return. Guard Tyrese Proctor hasn’t blown up like expected, and may just choose one more year in school. Freshman forward Sean Stewart has been tremendous lately as a defensive chaos engine, and could be in a major breakout as a sophomore:
Sean Stewart: special vertical athlete with quick reaction time, plays hard as hell, skilled with good intermediate touch and some passing chops, and he’s getting better game-by-game. Duke has another rotation piece for this season, and possibly a program-setter moving forward
— Brian Geisinger (@bgeis_bird) March 5, 2024
A year ago, the top NBA prospects in high school elected to play for the NBA’s G League Ignite instead of playing college basketball. The Ignite had a dreadful year, and it’s hard to say that Matas Buzelis and Ron Holland improved their stock. After Adam Silver’s cryptic comments as the Ignite’s future at All-Star weekend, Maluach picked Duke over the Ignite. It sure seems like the Ignite’s future is in jeopardy, and the big boys of college basketball are benefitting. Silver is, of course, a Duke alum.
Scheyer isn’t the only one doing the recruiting. Duke quietly made an amazing hire in 2022 by naming Rachel Baker as the program’s general manager. Baker was one of the top people involved in Nike’s EYBL grassroots circuit before taking the job, and has more connections to elite recruits than just about anyone. Duke is the flagship Nike college basketball school, and Nike has a massive amount of power. None of this is a fluke.
It’s going to a tough year ahead for Duke haters, but in reality this team is so talented that it will have championship-or-bust expectations placed on them immediately. Flagg is that good of a player, Maluach is that tantalizing of a talent, and the supporting cast will be excellent. Coach K may be gone, but Duke is still Duke.
