Duke Senior Forward Maliq Brown Was Selected As 44th Pick In Second Round Of 2026 NBA Draft By San Antonio
Duke senior forward Maliq Brown was selected as 44th pick in second round of 2026 NBA Draft
When?
On Wednesday June 24, 2026 at Barclays Center home of the Brooklyn Nets.
Maliq Brown played two seasons at Duke.
As a junior at Duke in 2024-2025 season,
Maliq Brown Described as a “defensive menace” by head coach Jon Scheyer
Finished with seven rebounds in four of his first five games as a Blue Devil
Swatted two shots versus Army West Point (11/8) and blocked a late three-point attempt to keep the game tied in Duke’s matchup versus Kentucky (11/12)
Scored eight points, including his first three-pointer of the season, versus Kansas (11/26)
Matched a career high with five steals versus the Jayhawks -- the first Blue Devil to do so since Paolo Banchero finished with five steals against Syracuse on March 10, 2022.
Played a season-high 29 minutes at Louisville (12/8), finishing a game-high +24 while grabbing 11 boards and logging three steals alongside six total points on 3-of-3 shooting
Returned to the court after missing four games (sprained knee), logging two steals, two assists and two points vs. UNC (2/1)
In his return to Syracuse, stuffed the stat sheet with eight rebounds, six points, three steals, one block and one steal
Returned from a four-game absence (shoulder injury) at North Carolina (3/8), matching his season high for points (8), including two three-pointers, while also adding three assists and three boards for a plus/minus of +20 in 16 minutes
Played six minutes against Georgia Tech (3/13) before exiting due to a dislocation of the same shoulder he dislocated in mid-February
Went 2-for-2 against Houston (4/5), while also adding three assists and two steals in 15 minutes of action
As a senior at Duke in 2025-2026 season,
Maliq Brown was Voted ACC Defensive Player of the Year, ACC Sixth Man of the Year and ACC All-Defensive Team.
Recipient of Lefty Driesell Award, presented annually by CollegeInsider.com to the top defensive player in Division I college basketball.
Named to Naismith Defensive Player of the Year Watch List.
Earned All-ACC Academic Team honors.
Broke the NCAA Division I single-season record with an 8.93 defensive box plus/minus (since 2010-11 - Sports Reference CBB).
Ranked third across all KenPom eligible players for steal rate (5.1) and third for two-point field goal percentage (.765).
Topped the Blue Devils in steals (68) and field goal shooting (62.9%).
Played in all 38 games with 10 starts, including the final eight contests of the season.
Finished a perfect 4-for-4 from the field against Western Carolina (11/8), reaching double-digits for the first time as a Blue Devil, with 10 points.
Posted seven points and five rebounds against Niagara (11/21), while tallying 12 deflections on defense, the most by a Blue Devil this season.
Scored six points, alongside six boards, against Florida (12/2), making the key steal on the Gators’ last-second inbounds to seal Duke’s win.
Finished one rebound shy of a double-double vs. Lipscomb (12/16), with 11 points and nine rebounds.
Matched his career high for steals with five against Texas Tech (12/20).
Praised for his defensive effort at Louisville (1/6), finishing with six defensive boards, three steals and one block.
Earned first start of his Duke career in the Blue Devils’ win over SMU (1/10).
Contributed across the board against Wake Forest (1/24), with five points, eight rebounds and five assists.
Swiped two steals against Boston College (2/3), his 50th career game with multiple steals.
Grabbed 10 rebounds at Notre Dame (2/24), while adding two assists, three steals and a block against the Fighting Irish.
Contributed across the stat sheet at NC State (3/2), with four points, four rebounds, three assists, three steals and two blocks.
Started on Senior Day against North Carolina (3/7), posting 15 points, a new Duke high for the transfer, along with 10 rebounds for his first career double-double, while equaling his career high with five steals.
Grabbed a season-best 12 rebounds in the ACC Tournament quarterfinals against Florida State (3/12), while collecting four points, three assists, three steals and two blocked shots.
Amassed 12 points and nine boards against TCU (3/21) in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
Before playing two seasons at Duke Maliq Brown played played two seasons at Syracuse.
(2022-24) at Syracuse, appearing in 61 games with 25 starts.
Recorded two-year totals of 470 points (7.7 ppg), 363 rebounds (6.0 rpg), 97 steals (1.6 spg), 84 assists (1.4 apg) and 44 blocked shots (0.7 bpg), while shooting 69.8% from the field (201-of-288).
As a sophomore in 2023-24, appeared in all 32 games, averaging 29.6 minutes per contest and starting the final 18 outings.
Averaged 9.5 points, 7.2 rebounds, 2.2 steals and 0.9 blocks per game in 2023-24, while shooting 69.8% from the field and boasting the nation's third-highest effective field goal percentage (71.3%), according to KenPom.com.
Topped the ACC with 71 steals and ranked 11th in rebounding, 14th in blocked shots and ninth in offensive rebounding (2.3 per game) in 2023-24.
Selected to the 2023-24 ACC All-Defensive Team, earning the third-most votes.
Recorded three straight double-doubles to end his sophomore season, including 11 points and 12 boards against NC State (March 13) in the 2024 ACC Tournament.
On Feb. 7, 2024, versus Louisville, amassed 11 points on 4-for-4 shooting from the field, nine rebounds, five assists, six blocks and five steals to achieve the first 5x5 performance while shooting 100% by any player on the NCAA Division I level (men's or women's), NBA or WNBA in the last 25 years, according to OptaStats.
As a freshman in 2022-23, played 29 games with seven starts, averaging 5.7 points and 4.6 rebounds per contest.
According to https://goduke.com/sports/mens-basketball/roster/maliq-brown/23103
With Maliq Brown getting selected as 44th pick in second round of 2026 NBA Draft by San Antonio he is going to have the opportunity to play with former Duke center Mason Plumlee who has been playing in the NBA for 13 seasons. Mason Plumlee was drafted by the Brooklyn Nets in round 1 as 22nd pick in 2013 NBA Draft out of Duke. Mason Plumlee started his professional career playing for Denver for four seasons Charlotte for three seasons Brooklyn for 2 seasons Los Angeles (Clippers) for 2 seasons Phoenix for 1 season Detroit for 1 season. San Antonio for 1 season.
Before playing in the NBA Mason Plumlee played for Duke for former Duke Head Coach Mike Krzyzewski where as a freshman in 2009 -2010 Mason Plumlee Played in the final 34 games of the season ... missed the first six games after fracturing his left wrist in practice prior to the season opener
Averaged 3.7 points, 3.1 rebounds, 0.9 assists and 0.9 blocks in just over 14 minutes per game ... shot 46.2 percent (49-of-106) from the field
Made one start and was the first player off the bench in 26 games
Finished second on the team in dunks (24) and third in blocks (30)
Scored 10 or more points in three games and had five or more rebounds in nine outings
Blocked a shot in 21 games with two or more blocks in six contests
Had two points, five rebounds and two assists in NCAA Tournament win over Baylor (3/28)
Recorded two points, six rebounds and three blocks against Arkansas-Pine Bluff (3/19) in the first round of the NCAA Tournament
Had four points, six rebounds and two blocked shots against Miami (3/13) in the ACC Tournament semifinals
Notched seven points, three rebounds and a block versus Maryland (2/13)
Pulled down a season-high nine rebounds to go with seven points, two assists and one block at North Carolina (2/10)
Grabbed six rebounds at Boston College (2/6)
Tallied four points, three rebounds, one block and two steals at No. 7 Georgetown (1/30)
Posted 11 points, seven rebounds and two blocked shots against Wake Forest (1/17)
Scored 10 points on 5-of-6 shooting from the field to go with six rebounds, three assists, two blocks and one steal at No. 20 Georgia Tech (1/9)
Had three points, five rebounds, one assist and one blocked shot in his first career ACC game against No. 21 Clemson (1/3)
Tallied a season-high 18 points to go along with seven rebounds, two assists and four steals against Pennsylvania (12/31) ... finished the game 7-of-10 from the field
Blocked a season-best four shots against Long Beach State (12/29)
Posted four points, three rebounds, one assist and one block versus Gonzaga (12/19)
Recorded six points, two rebounds, three assists and one block against Gardner-Webb (12/15)
Drew his first collegiate start against St. John's (12/5) with four points, two rebounds and one assist in seven minutes
Made his collegiate debut at Wisconsin (12/2) in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge, playing 10 minutes with two rebounds
As a sophomore in 2010 -2011,
Mason Plumlee was Honorable mention All-ACC selection ... also named to the ACC All-Academic team
Named to the CBE Classic All-Tournament team
Started 32 games this season, averaging 7.2 points and a team-high 8.4 rebounds per game
Shot a team-high 59.3 percent (112-of-189) from the field ... also led the team with 62 blocked shots and 46 dunks
Ranked among the ACC leaders in rebounding (5th) and blocks (t- 6th)
Tied for seventh in the ACC with six double-doubles ... grabbed 10 or more rebounds in 14 contests, including eight ACC games
Led the team in rebounding 21 times
Reached double figures in scoring in 10 outings with a career-high 25 points against Marquette (11/22)
Posted a +5.3 rebounding increase from his freshman to sophomore season, the fifth-highest rebounding jump under Coach K
Dished out a career-high five assists to go with 10 points and 11 rebounds in a career-high 38 minutes against Maryland (3/11) in the ACC Tournament
Finished with 16 points, 12 rebounds, three blocks and two steals against N.C. State (2/5)
Tallied a career-high six blocked shots to go with 10 rebounds, seven points and two assists at N.C. State (1/19)
Grabbed a career-high 16 rebounds to go with two blocks against Virginia (1/15)
Posted the most rebounds off the bench under Coach K with 14 boards at Florida State (1/12)
Had a career-high five steals while recording a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds against No. 6 Michigan State (12/1) in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge
Tallied seven points, 12 rebounds, four blocked shots and two steals at Oregon (11/27)
Scored a career-high 25 points while also grabbing 12 rebounds for a double-double against Marquette (11/22) in the CBE Classic ... also had five blocked shots in the game and made 12-of-16 field goals
Posted his first career double-double with 10 points and 14 rebounds in the second game of the O'Reilly Auto Parts CBE Classic against Miami [Ohio] (11/16)
As a junior in 2011-2012,
Mason Plumlee was named Named to the All-ACC third team after averaging 11.1 points and 9.2 rebounds per game
Named to the Capital One Academic All-America first team ... the fourth Duke player in school history to earn Academic All-America first team honors and the first since Shane Battier (2000, 2001) ... also earned All-ACC Academic Team and ACC Academic Honor Roll honors
Also selected to the NABC Honors Court, an award that highlights student-athletes who excelled in academics during the 2011-12 season
Selected to the NABC and USBWA All-District teams
Started 31 of 34 games and led Duke in rebounds and blocked shots ... ranked fourth in the ACC in rebounds per game ... pulled in a team-high 213 defensive rebounds and tied for the team lead with 99 offensive rebounds ... his 213 defensive rebounds were the second most in the ACC ... had 16 double-digit rebound games, which was the fourth best total in the ACC
Shot 57.2 percent (143-of-250) from the field with 143 made field goals, the most among Duke's big men
Led the team in rebounding 21 times and in scoring six times
Posted 12 double-doubles for the second-most in the ACC
Set Duke's single-season dunks record with 60, slamming in four in the second round of the NCAA Tournament to best Shelden Williams' previous school single-season record of 58
Led the team with 55 blocks at an average of 1.6 per game, the fifth best clip in the ACC
Improved immensely from the free throw line as the season progressed, shooting 65.8 percent from the charity stripe over Duke's final 17 games as opposed to 42.3 percent over the first 17 games
Named ACC and National Player of the Week on Jan. 31
Went a perfect 9-of-9 from the floor in the NCAA Second Round matchup against Lehigh (3/16) ... scored 19 points with 12 rebounds and three blocks for his 12th double-double of the year
Recorded a double-double in the ACC Tournament against Virginia Tech with 10 rebounds and 12 points (3/9)
Led Duke with 17 points and added four rebounds, two assists, two blocks and two steals off the bench against North Carolina ... his fourth and final rebound was the 700th of his career (3/3)
Recorded his 10th double-double of the season with 16 points and 10 rebounds against Maryland ... also threw down three dunks and grabbed his 300th career rebound in ACC play (2/11)
Pulled down 14 rebounds and scored eight points against North Carolina ... his final rebound came on a missed North Carolina free throw with 11 seconds remaining and started the final possession in which Austin Rivers hit the game-winning three-pointer as time expired (2/8)
Posted his ninth double-double with 15 points and a career-high 17 rebounds against St. John's (1/28)
Led Duke to a win over Maryland by scoring a season-high 23 points, grabbing 12 rebounds and dishing out four assists ... went 9-of-13 from the floor and 5-of-5 from the foul line (1/25)
Posted 16 points and 13 rebounds against Temple ... also collected two blocks and a steal against the Owls (1/4)
Had a season-high five blocks against Colorado State ... also finished with a double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds and added five blocks and four steals (12/7)
Scored 16 points against No. 2 Ohio State on 7-of-12 shooting ... also added eight rebounds, two blocks and a pair of steals (11/29)
Scored a season-high 17 points and pulled in 12 rebounds against Kansas in the Maui Invitational Championship game ... also blocked a pair of shots (11/23)
Had a block in 16 straight games before ending that streak against Davidson (11/18)
Against Michigan State, guarded leading scorer Draymond Green and held him to 10 points on 4-of-15 shooting (11/15) ... also had seven points, five rebounds and three blocks in the game
For career at Duke Mason Plumlee was A team captain in 2012-13
One of the top returning post players in the NCAA ... an ACC Player of the Year caliber performer with All-America potential
Looking to join Jay Buckley, Bob Fleischer, Mike Gminski, Jim Spanarkel, Shane Battier and Greg Paulus as Duke's two-time Academic All-America selections
A solid passer on the break and out of the post with a steadily developing back-to-the-basket post game ... will be Duke's primary interior scoring threat for 2012-13
An elite rebounder on both ends of the floor ... also has the length and wing span to be one of the top shot blockers in the ACC
A skilled forward with elite athleticism ... runs the floor well and plays above the rim on offense and defense ... has 130 dunks in three seasons with the Blue Devils
Has continued to add strength and bulk in the offseason
Averaging 7.3 points and 6.9 rebounds and 1.4 blocks in his career ... has a .558 field goal percentage (304-of-545) in 105 games (64 starts)
Joined on the team by his brother, Marshall ... In 2011-12, those two along with older brother, Miles (2008-12), became the third Division I brother trio to play on the same team, joining the Brennans (Matthew, Thomas & William) at Villanova in 1957-58 and the Bockhorns (Bucky, Harold & Terry) at Dayton in 1957-58
According to Mason Plumlee biography on goduke.com
While he is going to be on a team that made it to the NBA Finals before falling to New York Knicks who were crowned NBA Champions in game five with 94-90 win.