tontoz wrote:I don't see the point in drafting a center high unless he has shown to be a high level prospect, which Maluach hasn't. I see a lot of hopium but not a lot of production.
How not. He's only playing 20 mins a game but his advanced numbers are pretty eye-bugging. It's not in his blocks and steals, its in the on/off numbers. Players don't drive the middle when he is there. FG% drop when he is in the paint. Now we see him playing better in the tourney, and as the season grew longer he's gotten better. Numbers improved, minutes increased.
But no production? Who else is hitting 76% from 2. With a 73% True Shooting and EFG. That's unstoppable.
One of the youngest players in the draft, only been playing for 3 years, naturally he will have holes in his game. But upside matters. there's only one player bigger in the game at the NBA level. 4.0 GPA at Duke. 76% FT shooter, when usually the 7+ footers miss more due to the flat arc on their FT shots. His rebounding numbers are lower on defense in part because they have him guarding the perimeter. Centers don't do that at the NCAA level.
You want production draft a senior. But what Maluach can become is not replicable by a generic plug in Big. Wait til the measurements come out. Then watch him leap up the mocks. I would not be surprised to see him taken at #3. Too big, too nimble, too smart, too physical and competitive. Learning very quickly. I would have taken him over Sarr last year. Even #1 overall.
Dat echoes what I have said. Run a Cav's style offense. But the FT% suggests Maluach will be able to develop a corner 3 in the way that Jarrett Allen hasn't. Adding that Brook Lopez wrinkle to the game. With better mobility and hands.
On defense. Rebounding, fine. Let our 2nd line rebounders clean up the misses these two force. I think Maluach grabs more when he is full time interior player. But if not: A rebounder is easy to find. Til his hands and smarts catch up with his delayed reflexes. Repetitions should fix that in his case. It's minutes not aptitude that holds him back here. The fact that he will struggle at first is a feature not a bug. We get our defensive core early, then build offense on top of that. Every year has ballhandling guards who can shoot from outside, drive to the interior. Not every year has the 2nd tallest reach in the NBA, with a brain and wheels to move.
Yes it will take time for him to reach the potential he shows. And his upside on defense is higher than his likely achievables on offense. But in a postseason run, the sort of D he could allow a team to play would show up in the W/L column more significantly than the box score numbers suggest.
edit to add: check Maluach's movement on this defensive sequence. And how every time they tried to penetrate he was waiting and they forced a pass elsewhere:
https://www.reddit.com/r/CollegeBasketball/comments/1jn6nya/dukes_defensive_rotations_in_a_possession_from/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web3x&utm_name=web3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button
