From where Khaman Maluach was over a year ago, his freshman campaign at Duke was impressive. His brooding presence in the paint deterred opposing teams from venturing into the area when he was in the vicinity, as his towering 7’0.75” height and elongated 7’6.75” wingspan made it hard for adventurers to get to the rim and finish with ease.
Despite looking raw offensively, Maluach shot 71.2% from the field, including 77 dunks in the season, which is good enough to rank him second among all freshmen in Blue Devils history. His success at Duke led to many accolades, including the ACC All-Rookie Team, ACC All-Tournament First Team, NCAA East Region All-Tournament Team, and NABC South Atlantic All-District Second Team.