2025 NBA Draft Discussion Part 8

[WuTang_CMB]

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[dohboy_24]

If he didn't get many in college I don't see how he's going to translate to one of the league's best. I guess it's just" this guy big, this guy must be good at blocking shots. "

Ability to protect the rim and defend the paint >>>> number of blocks or blk%

When you dig deeper, Maluach is putting together a potent season in limited minutes. Per BartTorvik, he ranks eleventh in BPM across all freshmen in the country, seventh in block percentage for freshmen, and second in True Effective Shooting Percentage. These numbers, although borne of limited minutes, reflect the lethal efficiency that Maluach has demonstrated in his time on the floor.

SOURCE: https://www.noceilingsnba.com/p/magic-8-ballers-must-watch-morsels

When opponents have tried Khaman Maluach at the rim, they haven’t had much success. Per Synergy, Maluach is holding opponents to 54.5% at the rim, which isn’t an elite mark but one that both speaks to his limited attempts there and clouds what he’s done from a deterrence perspective. Experienced bigs like Amari Williams and Hunter Dickinson have struggled against Malauch in the post, even if the numbers don’t quite bear that out.

SOURCE: https://www.noceilingsnba.com/p/magic-8-ballers-must-watch-morsels

Maluach's only averaging 2.2 fouls per game is a good example of his future capabilities. The best rim protectors can stay on the floor, which Maluach can do from a foul perspective, but he needs to improve his conditioning to fully meet that ideal.

SOURCE: https://www.noceilingsnba.com/p/magic-8-ballers-must-watch-morsels

In seven games spanning the ACC and NCAA Tournaments, he has averaged 11.6 points, 7.6 rebounds and 2.3 blocks per game while shooting 81.8% from the field.

SOURCE: https://www.dukechronicle.com/article/2025/04/duke-mens-basketball-khaman-maluach-development-final-four-jon-scheyer-offense-defense-rebounding-alley-oop

Duke’s defense has a ridiculous 86.7 defensive rating when Khaman is on the court, compared to a still elite 90.1 when off. However, their opponents’ rim shooting goes down a sharp 12 percentage points from 57% to 45% when Maluach is on the court, and on lower volume, too (numbers versus top 100 teams only). The supporting cast is elite, but the numbers are what they’re supposed to be for a primary rim-protecting prospect.

SOURCE: https://theswishtheory.com/scouting-reports/khaman-maluach/

[Duffman100]

Are there any updates on Malauch and visa situation?

[earthtone]

Are there any updates on Malauch and visa situation?

I don't think the Visa situation will end up mattering at all. Money is the ultimate problem solver, and a millionaire athlete backed by billionaire owners won't have any of the same issues as international students/minimum-wage temporary labourers.

[DG88]

Are there any updates on Malauch and visa situation?

I don't think the Visa situation will end up mattering at all. Money is the ultimate problem solver, and a millionaire athlete backed by billionaire owners won't have any of the same issues as international students/minimum-wage temporary labourers.

He also holds a Ugandan passport so it's not an issue right now for travel.

[DG88]

Are there any updates on Malauch and visa situation?

I don't think the Visa situation will end up mattering at all. Money is the ultimate problem solver, and a millionaire athlete backed by billionaire owners won't have any of the same issues as international students/minimum-wage temporary labourers.

He also holds a Ugandan passport so it's not an issue right now for travel.

[Duffman100]

Are there any updates on Malauch and visa situation?

I don't think the Visa situation will end up mattering at all. Money is the ultimate problem solver, and a millionaire athlete backed by billionaire owners won't have any of the same issues as international students/minimum-wage temporary labourers.

He also holds a Ugandan passport so it's not an issue right now for travel.

Goood to know thanks!

[Pointgod]

Read on Twitter

He should go as high as 3.

[WuTang_CMB]

Watch on YouTube

;ab_channel=CBSSports

[Clutch0z24]

I wonder if Maluach is available if Bucks would like him.....Barnes/Dick/Maluach/Ochai + Future picks/Swaps would be an interesting restart for them....

[Kurtz]

If he didn't get many in college I don't see how he's going to translate to one of the league's best. I guess it's just" this guy big, this guy must be good at blocking shots. "

Ability to protect the rim and defend the paint >>>> number of blocks or blk%

When you dig deeper, Maluach is putting together a potent season in limited minutes. Per BartTorvik, he ranks eleventh in BPM across all freshmen in the country, seventh in block percentage for freshmen, and second in True Effective Shooting Percentage. These numbers, although borne of limited minutes, reflect the lethal efficiency that Maluach has demonstrated in his time on the floor.

SOURCE: https://www.noceilingsnba.com/p/magic-8-ballers-must-watch-morsels

When opponents have tried Khaman Maluach at the rim, they haven’t had much success. Per Synergy, Maluach is holding opponents to 54.5% at the rim, which isn’t an elite mark but one that both speaks to his limited attempts there and clouds what he’s done from a deterrence perspective. Experienced bigs like Amari Williams and Hunter Dickinson have struggled against Malauch in the post, even if the numbers don’t quite bear that out.

SOURCE: https://www.noceilingsnba.com/p/magic-8-ballers-must-watch-morsels

Maluach's only averaging 2.2 fouls per game is a good example of his future capabilities. The best rim protectors can stay on the floor, which Maluach can do from a foul perspective, but he needs to improve his conditioning to fully meet that ideal.

SOURCE: https://www.noceilingsnba.com/p/magic-8-ballers-must-watch-morsels

In seven games spanning the ACC and NCAA Tournaments, he has averaged 11.6 points, 7.6 rebounds and 2.3 blocks per game while shooting 81.8% from the field.

SOURCE: https://www.dukechronicle.com/article/2025/04/duke-mens-basketball-khaman-maluach-development-final-four-jon-scheyer-offense-defense-rebounding-alley-oop

Duke’s defense has a ridiculous 86.7 defensive rating when Khaman is on the court, compared to a still elite 90.1 when off. However, their opponents’ rim shooting goes down a sharp 12 percentage points from 57% to 45% when Maluach is on the court, and on lower volume, too (numbers versus top 100 teams only). The supporting cast is elite, but the numbers are what they’re supposed to be for a primary rim-protecting prospect.

SOURCE: https://theswishtheory.com/scouting-reports/khaman-maluach/

That's interesting, but are those numbers actually good? 7th in block percentage for Freshmen...I'd expect a guy his size and draft hype to be closer to #1. Second in true effective percentage...for a guy who mostly just finishes lobs on a stacked team, I'd expect him to be the runaway #1 in this stat. Only averaging 2.2 fouls...you can frame this as good, but when you watch him play, you may attribute that to him being soft/passive. Etc.

I think he only started playing ball when he was 14, so his lack of an offensive package is understandable, but he is very soft for a guy who should have been able to dominate college kids physically, and I don't think that physicality is a learned characteristic.

[Indeed]

If he didn't get many in college I don't see how he's going to translate to one of the league's best. I guess it's just" this guy big, this guy must be good at blocking shots. "

Ability to protect the rim and defend the paint >>>> number of blocks or blk%

When you dig deeper, Maluach is putting together a potent season in limited minutes. Per BartTorvik, he ranks eleventh in BPM across all freshmen in the country, seventh in block percentage for freshmen, and second in True Effective Shooting Percentage. These numbers, although borne of limited minutes, reflect the lethal efficiency that Maluach has demonstrated in his time on the floor.

SOURCE: https://www.noceilingsnba.com/p/magic-8-ballers-must-watch-morsels

When opponents have tried Khaman Maluach at the rim, they haven’t had much success. Per Synergy, Maluach is holding opponents to 54.5% at the rim, which isn’t an elite mark but one that both speaks to his limited attempts there and clouds what he’s done from a deterrence perspective. Experienced bigs like Amari Williams and Hunter Dickinson have struggled against Malauch in the post, even if the numbers don’t quite bear that out.

SOURCE: https://www.noceilingsnba.com/p/magic-8-ballers-must-watch-morsels

Maluach's only averaging 2.2 fouls per game is a good example of his future capabilities. The best rim protectors can stay on the floor, which Maluach can do from a foul perspective, but he needs to improve his conditioning to fully meet that ideal.

SOURCE: https://www.noceilingsnba.com/p/magic-8-ballers-must-watch-morsels

In seven games spanning the ACC and NCAA Tournaments, he has averaged 11.6 points, 7.6 rebounds and 2.3 blocks per game while shooting 81.8% from the field.

SOURCE: https://www.dukechronicle.com/article/2025/04/duke-mens-basketball-khaman-maluach-development-final-four-jon-scheyer-offense-defense-rebounding-alley-oop

Duke’s defense has a ridiculous 86.7 defensive rating when Khaman is on the court, compared to a still elite 90.1 when off. However, their opponents’ rim shooting goes down a sharp 12 percentage points from 57% to 45% when Maluach is on the court, and on lower volume, too (numbers versus top 100 teams only). The supporting cast is elite, but the numbers are what they’re supposed to be for a primary rim-protecting prospect.

SOURCE: https://theswishtheory.com/scouting-reports/khaman-maluach/

That's interesting, but are those numbers actually good? 7th in block percentage for Freshmen...I'd expect a guy his size and draft hype to be closer to #1. Second in true effective percentage...for a guy who mostly just finishes lobs on a stacked team, I'd expect him to be the runaway #1 in this stat. Only averaging 2.2 fouls...you can frame this as good, but when you watch him play, you may attribute that to him being soft/passive. Etc.

I think he only started playing ball when he was 14, so his lack of an offensive package is understandable, but he is very soft for a guy who should have been able to dominate college kids physically, and I don't think that physicality is a learned characteristic.

Exactly what I want to say.

I can see Philly who can use him with Maxey, Chicago with Giddey, Atlanta with Young. However, I am not seeing the fit, even he is at the same tier, so I am unsure he is the BPA for us to make the pick worth it.

[deeps6x]

Wonder who the Bucks are picking with the 9th pick

Wouldn't it take Barnes ($38.6M), Dick ($5M) and Agbaji ($6.4M), plus the salary #9 makes ($6.3M), just to match salaries with Giannis ($57.6M)?

Would the Bucks even have room on their roster to do a 1 for 4 trade?

[earthtone]

Wonder who the Bucks are picking with the 9th pick

Wouldn't it take Barnes ($38.6M), Dick ($5M) and Agbaji ($6.4M), plus the salary #9 makes ($6.3M), just to match salaries with Giannis ($57.6M)?

Would the Bucks even have room on their roster to do a 1 for 4 trade?

Barnes + Dick + Ochai is ~$50mil, which is enough to match Giannis’ ~$54mil.

If they wanted the 9th this year, they’d need Connaughton or Portis to opt-in to match salaries

[S.W.A.N]

Wonder who the Bucks are picking with the 9th pick

Wouldn't it take Barnes ($38.6M), Dick ($5M) and Agbaji ($6.4M), plus the salary #9 makes ($6.3M), just to match salaries with Giannis ($57.6M)?

Would the Bucks even have room on their roster to do a 1 for 4 trade?

trade machine says yes

[RoteSchroder]

If he didn't get many in college I don't see how he's going to translate to one of the league's best. I guess it's just" this guy big, this guy must be good at blocking shots. "

Ability to protect the rim and defend the paint >>>> number of blocks or blk%

When you dig deeper, Maluach is putting together a potent season in limited minutes. Per BartTorvik, he ranks eleventh in BPM across all freshmen in the country, seventh in block percentage for freshmen, and second in True Effective Shooting Percentage. These numbers, although borne of limited minutes, reflect the lethal efficiency that Maluach has demonstrated in his time on the floor.

SOURCE: https://www.noceilingsnba.com/p/magic-8-ballers-must-watch-morsels

When opponents have tried Khaman Maluach at the rim, they haven’t had much success. Per Synergy, Maluach is holding opponents to 54.5% at the rim, which isn’t an elite mark but one that both speaks to his limited attempts there and clouds what he’s done from a deterrence perspective. Experienced bigs like Amari Williams and Hunter Dickinson have struggled against Malauch in the post, even if the numbers don’t quite bear that out.

SOURCE: https://www.noceilingsnba.com/p/magic-8-ballers-must-watch-morsels

Maluach's only averaging 2.2 fouls per game is a good example of his future capabilities. The best rim protectors can stay on the floor, which Maluach can do from a foul perspective, but he needs to improve his conditioning to fully meet that ideal.

SOURCE: https://www.noceilingsnba.com/p/magic-8-ballers-must-watch-morsels

In seven games spanning the ACC and NCAA Tournaments, he has averaged 11.6 points, 7.6 rebounds and 2.3 blocks per game while shooting 81.8% from the field.

SOURCE: https://www.dukechronicle.com/article/2025/04/duke-mens-basketball-khaman-maluach-development-final-four-jon-scheyer-offense-defense-rebounding-alley-oop

Duke’s defense has a ridiculous 86.7 defensive rating when Khaman is on the court, compared to a still elite 90.1 when off. However, their opponents’ rim shooting goes down a sharp 12 percentage points from 57% to 45% when Maluach is on the court, and on lower volume, too (numbers versus top 100 teams only). The supporting cast is elite, but the numbers are what they’re supposed to be for a primary rim-protecting prospect.

SOURCE: https://theswishtheory.com/scouting-reports/khaman-maluach/

That's interesting, but are those numbers actually good? 7th in block percentage for Freshmen...I'd expect a guy his size and draft hype to be closer to #1. Second in true effective percentage...for a guy who mostly just finishes lobs on a stacked team, I'd expect him to be the runaway #1 in this stat. Only averaging 2.2 fouls...you can frame this as good, but when you watch him play, you may attribute that to him being soft/passive. Etc.

I think he only started playing ball when he was 14, so his lack of an offensive package is understandable, but he is very soft for a guy who should have been able to dominate college kids physically, and I don't think that physicality is a learned characteristic.

I wouldn't hold the lower block rate against him. He was defending on the perimeter a lot.

What I would do if I were a scout is to manually log the minutes that he was in position to protect the paint and look at his block rate there, then compare it to other bigs. If he spends twice as much time defending the three point line, his block rate when guarding the paint might actually be pretty high.

[Indeed]

Ability to protect the rim and defend the paint >>>> number of blocks or blk%



SOURCE: https://www.noceilingsnba.com/p/magic-8-ballers-must-watch-morsels

SOURCE: https://www.noceilingsnba.com/p/magic-8-ballers-must-watch-morsels

SOURCE: https://www.noceilingsnba.com/p/magic-8-ballers-must-watch-morsels

SOURCE: https://www.dukechronicle.com/article/2025/04/duke-mens-basketball-khaman-maluach-development-final-four-jon-scheyer-offense-defense-rebounding-alley-oop

SOURCE: https://theswishtheory.com/scouting-reports/khaman-maluach/

That's interesting, but are those numbers actually good? 7th in block percentage for Freshmen...I'd expect a guy his size and draft hype to be closer to #1. Second in true effective percentage...for a guy who mostly just finishes lobs on a stacked team, I'd expect him to be the runaway #1 in this stat. Only averaging 2.2 fouls...you can frame this as good, but when you watch him play, you may attribute that to him being soft/passive. Etc.

I think he only started playing ball when he was 14, so his lack of an offensive package is understandable, but he is very soft for a guy who should have been able to dominate college kids physically, and I don't think that physicality is a learned characteristic.

I wouldn't hold the lower block rate against him. He was defending on the perimeter a lot.

What I would do if I were a scout is to manually log the minutes that he was in position to protect the paint and look at his block rate there, then compare it to other bigs. If he spends twice as much time defending the three point line, his block rate when guarding the paint might actually be pretty high.

That is the biggest question I have.
When he is on the floor, opponent score at the rim has low FG%.
When he is on the floor, he is mostly defending on the perimeter.

So he is defending on the perimeter and opponent score at rim is low? Even he stands on the perimeter, he has impact in the paint?
Either one of these (or both) are false. But what is true is, his block rate is low, why? Because his leaping ability is bad. Not Queen bad, but bottom 5.

[Got Nuffin]

Ability to protect the rim and defend the paint >>>> number of blocks or blk%



SOURCE: https://www.noceilingsnba.com/p/magic-8-ballers-must-watch-morsels

SOURCE: https://www.noceilingsnba.com/p/magic-8-ballers-must-watch-morsels

SOURCE: https://www.noceilingsnba.com/p/magic-8-ballers-must-watch-morsels

SOURCE: https://www.dukechronicle.com/article/2025/04/duke-mens-basketball-khaman-maluach-development-final-four-jon-scheyer-offense-defense-rebounding-alley-oop

SOURCE: https://theswishtheory.com/scouting-reports/khaman-maluach/

That's interesting, but are those numbers actually good? 7th in block percentage for Freshmen...I'd expect a guy his size and draft hype to be closer to #1. Second in true effective percentage...for a guy who mostly just finishes lobs on a stacked team, I'd expect him to be the runaway #1 in this stat. Only averaging 2.2 fouls...you can frame this as good, but when you watch him play, you may attribute that to him being soft/passive. Etc.

I think he only started playing ball when he was 14, so his lack of an offensive package is understandable, but he is very soft for a guy who should have been able to dominate college kids physically, and I don't think that physicality is a learned characteristic.

I wouldn't hold the lower block rate against him. He was defending on the perimeter a lot.

What I would do if I were a scout is to manually log the minutes that he was in position to protect the paint and look at his block rate there, then compare it to other bigs. If he spends twice as much time defending the three point line, his block rate when guarding the paint might actually be pretty high.

Yes the games of Duke that I saw they were switching a LOT and Maluach was very comfortable with that and even terrorizing smaller players on the perimeter, which is obviously a great sign for him in this era of mobile bigs. The fact that he's doing it his size and length is what is so rare, even if the offensive promise doesn't eventuate.

I read recently that he was a dedicated soccer player before switching to basketball, and that's probably why his defensive footwork / agility comes more naturally. Never bet against an NBA player who started off as a soccer player

[Indeed]

Wonder who the Bucks are picking with the 9th pick

Wouldn't it take Barnes ($38.6M), Dick ($5M) and Agbaji ($6.4M), plus the salary #9 makes ($6.3M), just to match salaries with Giannis ($57.6M)?

Would the Bucks even have room on their roster to do a 1 for 4 trade?

Barnes + Dick + Ochai is ~$50mil, which is enough to match Giannis’ ~$54mil.

If they wanted the 9th this year, they’d need Connaughton or Portis to opt-in to match salaries

Most likely Barnes + Poeltl.
I do not envision Gannis will be paired with someone who cannot shoot the ball.

We might trade Poeltl to a third team, that helps to reduce salary and acquire a pick. However, I am unsure there are teams need a C with this draft providing a lot of that option.

[Raptorfan2012]

Anyone else starting to move away from watching prospect highlights to Giannis highlights?