Psubs wrote:God Squad wrote:Los_29 wrote:
Issue I have with him is why isn’t he blocking shots? At that size he should be blocking way more shots than he is. It leads me to believe that he might not be a good shot blocker at the next level. And if not, then what other tools does he have?
My issue is why he can't play for more than 10-15 minutes. It's almost like John Schyer has no trust in him. During the summer I saw the potential with his fiba team (Sudan). He looked like a legit prospect, I just don't know what happened to "that" player.
I'm not out on Maluach, but he hasn't lived up to expectations ( top 3). I've watched maybe 3 Duke games and he's looked invisible and/or not on the floor. IMO he's fallen to the 7-12 area just based on potential.
Duke doesn't historically feature bigs that well.
I follow college hoops a ton, and Maluach is someone I've kept an eye on. There's alot to like, but tons of things that raise red flags. Kid is absolutely massive at 7-2, with a reportedly a 7-5 wingspan, and a 9-8 standing reach. He's also really fluid and has shown a soft touch.
Let's start off defensively... I think the Gobert comparisions are super lazy. Gobert when he was younger blocked every single shot in sight and was quite frankly one of the best rim protectors I've ever seen. Maluach is quite frankly a disappointing shot blocker considering his physical tools,
he has a block percentage of 5.7%. I can't remember the last time a big time shot blocker had such a low block percentage at the college level. The only one thing I can think of off the top of my head is Brook Lopez. For reference
Derrick Lively had a block percentage of 12.7% in his freshmen year at Duke.
Kyle Filipowski had a block percentage of 5.3% last year at Duke. Maluach also has bad blocking mechanics, he swipes down, this indicates to me that he might have foul troubles at the NBA level. I will say this though, just by his size alone he can wall off the rim similiar to someone like Roy Hibbert.
Offensively he's shown shooting potential, shooting 80% from the lines, he's attempted and made three's, and he has very good form on his jumpshot, so this is a skill I can see developing. I also think he has very good touch around the rim, you don't shoot 79% at the college level if you don't... other than that he doesn't have much going for him. I'm not sure if it's because Duke doesn't feature him, but he stands around on offense, not fighting for post position. Really hard to project him offensively at the moment, because 90% of his baskets have been lobs.
Athletically like I said, he has quick feet, and he's very fluid for a guy that big. Just my opinion, but I don't think he's very vertically gifted. He gets off the floor quick, but he doesn't get up very high, which is where the red flags start popping up. Will he be able to be a lob threat at the next level? Will he be able to wall off the rim if he's not a shot blocker at the NBA level? I'm not sold athletically by Maluach, which is worrisome considering his archetype.
I honestly see a ton of Roy Hibbert in Maluach, in good and bad ways. He's going to be a good rim protector with just his physical talents alone, but I don't think he becomes a big time shot blocker. I also think he lacks IQ both offensively and defensively. He doesn't have the best positioning, and a ton of the rebounds he's currently getting, he won't get at the NBA level. I do like his potential as a developing shooter. Maluach is going to be a guy we won't really have a grip on until the end of the season and we have seen his entire body of work. Me personally he has been disappointing so far, and someone I wouldn't take top 10 at the moment.
***Edit***
To follow up on the block percentage stat
Here are block percentages of the top 10 NBA players in blocks who played NCAA basketball in 24/25 in their freshman years
1) Kessler - 10.7%
2) AD - 13.7%
3) Turner - 12.3%
4) Lopez - 4.9%
5) Clingan - 14%
6) JJJ - 14.3%
7) Lively - 12.7%
8) Mobley - 8.8%
9) Stewart - 7.0%
10) Claxton - 9.4%
Maluach has been disappointing as a shotblocker so far. Unless he's a complete outlier similiar to Brook Lopez, I don't project him to be an elite shot blocker at the NBA level.
But yeah I can see how he can remind people of Kobe by the way he moves. But that's more of a stylistic comparison I guess, not necessarily a comparison of their entire skillset. This guy seems very fun to watch though.
