Duke has two of the top prospects in the 2024 class joining the team next season, and they are receiving lofty comparisons.
The Blue Devils were already in a good spot when they landed Cooper Flagg, the No. 1 player in the nation according to 247Sports. However, the team received an even bigger boost when Khaman Maluach, the No. 3 prospect, also made his commitment.
One NBA scout told The Athletic's Brendan Marks when Maluach committed "that he and Flagg would be the most hyped, heavily scouted pair of college teammates since Joel Embiid and Andrew Wiggins at Kansas in 2013-14."
The last time Duke welcomed a highly touted freshman duo was in 2018 with Zion Williamson and R.J. Barrett. Flagg and Maluach will be looking to make a similar impact.
Duke lost sophomore Kyle Filipowski and freshman Jared McCain to the 2024 NBA draft. Four players have entered the transfer portal so far: sophomore forward Mark Mitchell, junior guard Jaylen Blakes, redshirt freshman big Christian Reeves, and redshirt freshman guard Jaden Schutt.
While Filipowski was the Blue Devils' leading scorer and rebounder, losing Mitchell is just as big a loss due to his defensive versatility. However, Marks noted that it was a necessary move.
"The spacing with Mitchell would not have worked," Marks stated. "Every roster move Duke makes this offseason has to be viewed through the lens of complementing those two, because they are the players [head coach Jon] Scheyer and his staff are building around."
