Confusing Justin Timberlake for Maroon 5: Duke's Khaman Maluach hilariously plays guess the artist

Duke center Khaman Maluach tallied 13 points, seven rebounds and two assists in the Blue Devils' comprehensive 110-67 blowout win against the Illinois Fighting Illini at Madison Square Garden on Saturday evening. Alongside the talented Cooper Flagg, Maluach has been one of No. 3 Duke's best players this season ahead of March Madness.

On Monday, Duke's Instagram account posted a clip of the outgoing Maluach and a staff member going around Madison Square Garden identifying popular musicians. The dominant center confused several artists, including mistaking Justin Timberlake for Maroon 5.

Watch the hilarious interaction below:

Duke coach praises Khaman Maluach's growth

Khaman Maluach developed his talent at the NBA Academy Africa before joining the Basketball Africa League with the City Oilers. He committed to Jon Scheyer's Duke Blue Devils in one of the top-ranked recruitment classes alongside superstar Cooper Flagg and the talented Isaiah "Slim" Evans.

While speaking to the media, Scheyer praised Maluach's growth as the season progressed.

“Khaman, he’s as good as I’ve seen as a freshman of playing physical and knowing how to use his body,” Scheyer said. "Usually, that takes the longest for freshmen big guys. He naturally, he was coming in in the summer and just hitting guys, ‘cause he likes contact. So, it starts there."

Scheyer also highlighted areas that Khaman Maluach could further improve. The South Sudanese center is averaging 8.2 points on 71.4% shooting from the floor and 18.2% shooting from beyond the arc, as well as 6.2 rebounds and 0.4 assists this season.

“Obviously, he has to learn how to do that and go straight up and go vertical," Scheyer said. "He’s a student of the game, so he’s been able to grow as the season’s gone along with his defense, with his switching, with blitzing ball screens. I don’t think his versatility gets talked about enough on that end. It’s because of him being so smart and such a great worker.

“His impact is always going to be more than just scoring. But I just thought his aggressiveness and the way he played was what we need from him.”

Maluach only took up basketball full-time in 2020 when he joined the NBA Academy Africa in Senegal. In 2023, he won the Basketball Without Borders MVP title and was ranked a five-star prospect by the time he committed to the Blue Devils.

Khaman Maluach has shown incessant improvement as the season has progressed. In On3 analyst James Fletcher's latest mock draft, he is projected as the best center in the 2025 NBA draft, showing the strides taken by the prospect since arriving at Duke.