The Duke Blue devils are so far ruling their conference with a roster that is a threat to the ACC teams and beyond. Cooper Flagg’s team has only seen two narrow losses this season and some would even argue that early-season losses have propelled them to only move upwards since. But is the ACC powerhouse wasting potential? or better yet- are they not maximizing on one of their most promising players this season? Let’s see what ex-Delaware Tim Donnelly says about this.

Analyst Tim Donnelly weighed in on what he thinks of Cooper Flagg’s 7′ 2″ teammate. “Maluach should play more offensively”, said Donnelly in a recent episode of ESPN’s 99.9 The Fan podcast.  Although Khaman Maluach has been averaging 8.1 points this season, Donnelly believes he can add much more to the scoreboard. The youngest player ever to join the NBA academy has so far been a remarkable asset to the Devils.

In a team that already possesses the raging talent of Cooper Flagg, its not unlikely that Maluach gets less chances to shine than he deserves. “What if he wasn’t on a team with Cooper Flagg?.. Tyrese Proctor ? And all these guys that have their own skill sets? I think he could be a 15 point per game score.” Donnelly added. The South-Sudan-born center, if put in a position of a guard can really put his shooting acumen to use. When given the chance, he has come close to getting even 20 points in a game.

Donnelly is of the opinion that“Having that potential is important, and realizing that potential is important.” Maluach has mostly given above 20 minutes to the court in the last 10 matches and more than 25 in the last two. It’s quiet possible that more play-time can put him in a position to shoot at a similar level of Flagg. He can also arguably be among the top NBA picks this year alongside Flagg.

For now, he has been getting Dukes at least eight rebounds a game which is set to increase his current average of 5.6. But who knows, we might eventually get to see the dormant scorer that lies within him. Let’s see what Cooper Flagg has to say about Maluach’s presence in the court.

Flagg on Maluach’s “huge” presence on the court

Flagg opened up last year on Maluach’s performance after an exhibition game against Arizona. “Yeah, I mean for sure, I think especially Khaman’s presence in the paint is huge,” Flagg said. That day, the young center contributed to the Blue Devils’ efforts to score eight points and jaw-dropping 12 rebounds. His efforts led them to win with a glorious margin of 103-47.

‘So, I think his presence is something that every team will have to feel and he’ll just bring that shot-blocking presence all throughout the year.”, added Flagg and he has been proven right since the season began. Maluach has become the two-way force that amazingly compliments Flagg’s shooting efforts.

Even in their last game, Maluach made an alley-oop slam on Duke’s first possession to quickly put Duke in front. He ended up adding 11 points on 4-of-5 from the field, while also snagging eight rebounds and blocking one shot.

It’s not up for debate that Khaman Maluach is deeply important to the current roster’s strategy and future. When it comes to his scoring abilities, surely time will tell. Let’s see what the Duke makes of his potential on Wednesday against Miami.