Duke basketball media team proposes drafting freshman phenom would be massive for 'world peace'

The NBA Draft lottery is now set after Monday night’s reveal. The basketball world now knows that the Dallas Mavericks will have the chance to select one of the most highly touted draft prospects since LeBron James went No. 1 overall in 2003. Cooper Flagg has long been projected as the top overall pick.

Flagg led his Duke team in nearly every facet last season. The Blue Devils roster was the most talented head coach Jon Scheyer has had during his tenure at Duke. They’re expected to have three players selected in June’s lottery.

Kon Knueppel and Khaman Maluach are both projected to be drafted within the first 15 picks, a testament to how strong this Duke squad was. What’s notable about Knueppel, Maluach, and Flagg is that all three spent just one season in Durham. Duke’s social media team even chimed in with a post suggesting where Maluach should be drafted—though their reasoning wasn’t exactly typical.

“Man Man to DC would be massive for their frontcourt & world peace,” Duke’s social media team posted.

The post came in response to Senator Marco Rubio’s move to revoke visas held by South Sudanese passport holders. The Washington Wizards currently hold the No. 6 pick in the NBA Draft. At one point, there was uncertainty about whether Maluach would be able to pursue his dream of playing in the NBA.

“This edict could impact Duke's Khaman Maluach, a projected NBA lottery pick. Maluach is an inspirational story: a refugee, discovered by Luol Deng, part of South Sudan's Olympic team, recruited to Duke, and working his way onto the NBA's radar," Chris Mannix wrote.

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Maluach is expected to be a lottery pick and is coming off a strong season at Duke, where he averaged 8.6 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 1.3 blocks per game. If he ends up in Washington, it wouldn’t be surprising to see another post from Duke’s media team.