The Duke basketball program retained a lot of its rotation from the 2025-26 season, which is a bit uncharacteristic for a program that tends to rely on incoming freshman talent year in and year out.
This time around, head coach Jon Scheyer and his staff are returning four of Duke‘s top six scorers from a season ago in Patrick Ngongba, Dame Sarr, Caleb Foster, and Cayden Boozer. The team’s top two scorers, Cameron Boozer and Isaiah Evans, elected to make the jump to the NBA.
Another veteran Blue Devil who will not be back with the program in 2026-27 is big man Maliq Brown, who graduated and has exhausted his collegiate eligibility. The 6’9″ Swiss-army-knife isn’t garnering a ton of hype on NBA Draft boards, but he should be getting a lot more attention. Here’s why.
Any NBA Team Could Use Maliq Brown’s Skillset
Maliq Brown never generated much NBA attention throughout his career. Across his career, the former Syracuse transfer averaged 5.8 points, 5.2 rebounds, 1.5 assists, and 1.6 steals a night. The box score will never jump out at fans, but his defensive impact was unlike any other player in college basketball.
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In 2025-26, Brown was named the ACC Defensive Player of the Year and received the Lefty Driesell Award, given to the nation’s top defensive player. Once again, the box score numbers won’t reflect his impact, but his versatility and impact on winning are unlike any other player.
Deflections aren’t an official stat, but Brown certainly would’ve led that category if they were. He had the most active hands in the sport and constantly made life miserable for opposing ball handlers. Additionally, Brown could guard the one through five on the floor effectively, taking on the starting center spot with Ngongba out with injury in the postseason.
Brown can move his feet better than most bigs in the country, can contain guards on the perimeter, and can defend the rim at a high level with an endless motor. His defensive intangibles make him valuable for any professional team.
Duke Blue Devils forward Maliq Brown (6) rebounds March 21, 2026 during the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament second round East Region game at the Bon Secours Wellness Arena in Greenville, South Carolina. | Ken Ruinard / USA Today Network South Carolina / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
Where Is Brown Ranked on NBA Draft Boards?
According to ESPN, Brown is the No. 79 2026 NBA Draft prospect. He can be a menace in the pick-and-roll and has touch finishing around the basket, but his offensive arsenal is fairly limited, hence his draft stock not being very high.
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However, his defensive impact is different from that of literally any other draft prospect. As a plug-and-play defensive piece off the bench, Brown can play virtually any position on the floor. He’ll never be a star on the offensive side, but his active hands and defensive versatility should earn him a spot on an NBA roster.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/duke as Making Case for Duke’s Maliq Brown To Be Drafted.
