It’s been well documented at this point, but it bears repeating: The Chicago Bulls fielded one of the most pathetic defenses in the NBA last season. Duke center Khaman Maluach would be the perfect tonic to cure that ill.
Maluach is a mammoth 18-year-old with Gumby-like limbs and enough athleticism to fantasize about how he might fit in Chicago. Based on a recent mock draft, however, that fantasy could quickly turn into a nightmare.
Bulls could be out of the running for Khaman Maluach
Maluach measured in at 7 feet ¾ at the NBA combine, with a 7-foot-6 ¾ wingspan—the longest in the draft—and a 9-foot-6 standing reach. (Victor Wembanyama's is 9-foot-7.) His tape with the Blue Devils shows a big man who’s unusually nimble for his size, which provides promise of someone at the center position who can run along in Chicago’s up-tempo transition scheme.
More than anything, Maluach would help the Bulls' interior defense; Chicago allowed the most points in the paint per game of any NBA squad in 2024-25. He's not yet a finished product as a shot blocker, having played organized basketball for only four years, but his size and length alone make him a rim deterrent.
He's enticingly agile for his size and can hold his own switching onto guards in pick-and-rolls. He was a dominant offensive rebounder at the college level, grabbing nearly three per game, and shot 75.4 percent on twos.
He knows how to use his size on both ends of the floor to halt opposing drivers and dunk everything in sight. He also hit 15 of his 30 pull-up jumpers at the combine, went 11-for-23 on corner threes and 9-for-10 from the free-throw line, so there's that, too. And again, he's only 18.
Maluach is the best center prospect in the 2025 class, but because of his lack of true production at Duke (he averaged 8.6 points, 6.6 rebounds and 1.3 blocks per game) and his boom or bust potential, his landing spot in mock drafts continues to fluctuate.
Not according to Jonathan Wasserman of Bleacher Report, however, who has Maluach going fourth overall to the Charlotte Hornets in his latest publication. That's an outlier, but not entirely unexpected. Wasserman notes:
"Scouts raved about how he looked during in pro day in Los Angeles. Workouts also create an opportunity for Maluach to showcase shotmaking skill that was masked during the season with Duke. The buzz and interest have been snowballing to the point where scouts think Maluach will be a strong possibility once Flagg, (Dylan) Harper and (Ace) Bailey are gone."
Does Wasserman's mock and included report mean Maluach is a sure-fire top-five pick? Not necessarily. Does it confirm that the Bulls are out of the Maluach game if they stay put with their No. 12 pick?
Well, it seems like it's time for Chicago to officially wake up from the dream.