Sam Upshaw Jr./Courier Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
Tulane transfer Sion James has started in place of sophomore Caleb Foster in the past two games, and Syracuse transfer Maliq Brown could be coming for a spot in the first five as well. The Syracuse transfer, dubbed by his teammates as the best defender in the country, played 29 minutes and racking up six points, 11 rebounds, and three steals.
Brown has averaged 3.3 steals over the past four games, and that doesn’t even factor in his deflections and general distress generated for opposing offenses. He’s seen the court for 27.0 minutes against Auburn and Louisville while five-star freshman Khaman Maluach played just 11 on Sunday.
Maluach’s management will be interesting down the stretch. At 7-foot-2, he brings an interior presence Brown can’t match, and him reaching his ceiling might be the most essential piece of Duke’s title hopes. However, even if Brown doesn’t get his name announced before the game, he’s become a staple in the Blue Devils’ late-game lineups, and that matters more anyway.
