What’s the latest on Duke forward Maliq Brown’s knee injury? Jon Scheyer gave an update
The No. 3 Duke Blue Devils will be without reserve forward Maliq Brown for an extended period of time after he suffered a sprained knee Saturday.
“He’ll miss weeks,” Duke coach Jon Scheyer said Monday morning. “Could be longer, but obviously he’s going to be out for the next several games minimum.”
The Blue Devils (14-2, 6-0 ACC), riding a 10-game winning streak, return to play Tuesday at 9 p.m. against Miami (4-12, 0-5 ACC) at Cameron Indoor Stadium.
Brown was injured during a brief appearance in Duke’s 86-78 home win over Notre Dame on Saturday. Averaging 19 minutes per game this season, he was in the game for just 52 seconds before being removed after he and teammate Mason Gillis collided, leaving Brown with a sprained knee.
Though he averages just 2.6 points and 4.8 rebounds per game, Brown is usually the first reserve player off Duke’s bench. Brown led the ACC in steals last season at Syracuse. His 22 steals this season are second on the Blue Devils, behind only Cooper Flagg’s 25.
The Blue Devils clearly missed him against Notre Dame, which shot 47.4% against a Duke defense that had allowed opponents to make just 35.8% of their shots this season. Brown’s ability to guard any player on the court, from a point guard to a center, has allowed the Blue Devils to play an aggressive switching defense that makes it difficult for opponents to find driving lanes to the basket.
“Look, there’s no replacing Maliq’s versatility and what he does on that end with deflections and steals,” Scheyer said. “Last game is a great example against Notre Dame. That has his name written all over it, with how we play. So it’s a big loss.”
Brown missed one game previously this season, sitting out a 72-46 win over Incarnate Word on Dec. 10 at Cameron. That absence was due to a toe injury he suffered two nights earlier when Duke won 76-65 at Louisville. Scheyer said his hope is Brown sitting out a few weeks will allow him to become 100% healthy.
“I don’t think he’s been quite right,” Scheyer said. “He had a toe injury he was still recovering from. I think this is a chance for him to get really right and get back to the level he was playing at. We’ve got to get him better.”
With Brown unavailable, 7-2 freshman center Khaman Maluach will play more minutes while reserve Patrick Ngongba, a 6-11 freshman, will see additional playing time off the bench, Scheyer said.
Duke limited Ngongba’s minutes over the season’s first two months as he recovered from foot injuries that kept him from playing his senior season of high school basketball.
“I have a ton of confidence in Pat Ngongba,” Scheyer said. “He wasn’t healthy. He’s been coming on really strong.”
Maluach played a season-high 32 minutes against Notre Dame. His previous high for minutes played in a game this season had been 26. Over Duke’s first 13 games this season, Maluach played fewer than 20 minutes in seven of them.
Scheyer said he does not intend to have 6-9 freshman Cooper Flagg take minutes guarding centers due to Brown’s absence. That’s despite the fact that Flagg, like Brown, is able to guard any player on the court due to his athleticism and length.
“I don’t want to screw anything up with him,” Scheyer said. “I think he needs to stay the course with where he’s at.”
Instead, look for the 6-6 Gillis to find himself inside fronting taller players when Maluach is out of the game.
“We have other guys that can bang and guard fives,” Scheyer said. “I would rather Cooper not do that, although he can easily switch one through five, and that versatility is an important thing for our team.”
This story was originally published January 13, 2025 at 10:20 AM.