Duke freshman Khaman Maluach posts 2-word caption as he makes NBA draft decision

Duke Blue Devils freshman center Khaman Maluach had a strong first college season, registering 8.6 points, 6.6 rebounds and 1.3 steals per game. However, he will not be back with the Blue Devils next season because he officially declared for the 2025 NBA draft on Sunday.

Maluach was widely expected to declare for the 2025 NBA draft after his strong season. He is projected to be a lottery pick in the NBA draft, and as a result, returning to college for another season would have been a surprise. He made the announcement on Instagram on Sunday with a two-word caption.

"GOD'S PLAN."

In the first image of the post, Maluach posted three pictures of himself in a Duke uniform spliced over each other. At the bottom of the screen, it shows the NBA logo, indicating his declaration. On the second slide, it has a picture of him and some other kids from his childhood in South Sudan with some inspiring words written on a sign in the background.

"Who knows the future?"

Khaman Maluach is one of three-star Duke players to declare for the 2025 NBA draft who could go in the top 10 picks. Cooper Flagg is projected to be the No. 1 pick in the draft, and Kon Knueppel is also in the mix to get drafted in the top 10.

When will Khaman Maluach be drafted in the 2025 NBA draft?

With Khaman Maluach officially declaring for the NBA draft on Sunday, it is now possible to speculate about where he will be drafted. NBA.com conducted a mock draft on Tuesday. In that mock draft, they had Maluach going to the Toronto Raptors at No. 7. They then had Kon Knueppel going two spots later, No. 9 to the Portland Trail Blazers.

Interestingly, in Yahoo's latest mock draft on Apr. 16, they had Kon Knueppel going before Khaman Maluach, though still with the No. 9 pick. They had Maluach going to the Houston Rockets at No. 10. Either way, it appears likely that Maluach will be a top-10 pick.

However, the draft picture will get clearer in the coming weeks. The NBA Combine will begin on May 11 and run through the 18th, allowing teams to get a closer look at players.

The most impactful day for the NBA draft will take place on May 12. That is when the NBA draft lottery will occur, and the order of the teams in the lottery will be determined.

About the author

Alexander O'Reilly is a journalist at Sportskeeda from Kingston, Ontario with over seven years in the field at companies including SenShot, RVBlogger, Monarch Media, WordAgents, GSeC LLC, and IGC.

His favorite college team is Duke, and his favorite sporting memory was Duke winning March Madness in 2010. JJ Redick was Alex's favorite college player when he was young but more recently, Caleb Williams gets the nod. As the Chicago Bears are Alex's favorite NFL team, this was a perfect match.

Alex's proudest moment came when he was interviewed by a radio station in Ottawa on his opinion on recent moves by the Ottawa Senators, which gave him a confidence boost and the knowledge that he could succeed as a writer.

Aside from sports, Alex likes to spend his time playing games. He is also very passionate about running and strives to improve at the half and full marathon distances.

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Edited by nagpaltusharn25