"Mr. Blue Devil": Tyrese Proctor welcomes Khaman Maluach as NBA academy star commits to Duke

Talented Duke guard Tyrese Proctor welcomed the newest Blue Devils commit, Khaman Maluach, from the NBA Academy Africa. Proctor showed off a video call with the center on his Instagram stories, with the caption:

"Mr. Blue Devil @khaman_maluach."

According to 247Sports, Maulach is the No. 1 center and No. 3 overall prospect in the 2024 class.

Tyrese Proctor's IG

Khaman Maluach commits to Duke

Khaman Maluach visited UCLA, Kentucky and Kansas, but ultimately chose the Duke Blue Devils as his destination. He spoke to ESPN about his commitment decision.

"Duke is home; that's where I belong." Maluach said. "This was the hardest decision I've ever made. I felt like I could succeed anywhere, but I was most comfortable going to Duke.

"All the schools that were recruiting me are big-time programs, but in terms of my development and the relationships I built with the coaches, they were the best."

Maluach joined the No. 1 recruiting class assembled by Duke, including projected 2025 NBA Draft No. 1 pick, Cooper Flagg.

The center spoke about competing against his future teammates in Oregon for next month's World Team at the Nike Hoop Summit.

"That's going to be something exciting. I expect it to be great competition going up against future teammates. We'll get to build our bond stronger after that. This is a big platform to showcase our talent," Maluach said.

During the latest episode of "The Fast Break with Jon Scheyer," the Duke coach could not directly name Khaman Maluach due to NCAA regulations but he spoke about the big man's impending commitment in general terms.

"Well, I appreciate the question. I can't talk about any of that until everybody is signed and all that. But I can tell you we're excited," Scheyer said.

"And I can tell you that no matter what, no matter who you have coming in, no matter what team you have, you always have to get them in person. You always have to get a feel for what they really do.

"Like, I can tell you that the four [current] freshmen, we knew those guys really well, but you get to learn about them when you're with them every day in the summer and in the preseason," he added.

"And so, for us, to say exactly what we're going to do, I can tell you on Saturday what we're going to do — I can't tell you next year. We've got to figure out a lot more about who the team is going to be."

Khaman Maluach has made Duke fans giddy at the prospect of combining with his future teammates, including Cooper Flagg to win the national championship for the Blue Devils.