Duke HC Jon Scheyer makes concerning Maliq Brown injury update
02/17/2025 11:20 PM
Duke basketball head coach Jon Scheyer watched his Blue Devils ease past Virginia 80-62 on Monday. But he witnessed an uneasy moment involving his forward Maliq Brown.
The Syracuse transfer left gingerly during the victory. Scheyer then delivered a concerning update postgame, per freelance college basketball reporter Mike Barber.
“Duke coach Jon Scheyer says Syracuse transfer Maliq Brown suffered a dislocated shoulder tonight against #UVA and is going for imaging tonight,” Barber shared on X.
The head coach added how Brown is “a big loss for us.”
Brown showed his impact on the floor early on. He fed this bounce pass to Sion James, who finished with the dunk.
Absolute DIME by Maliq Brown to Sion James for the slam #Dukepic.twitter.com/QLIr0R9cLV
— TimeoutSPORTS__ (@TimeoutSPORTS3) February 18, 2025
But now Brown’s loss comes with the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament still to come.
Who does Duke turn to in the absence of Maliq Brown?
Duke still features an embarrassment of riches with its 2024-25 roster. It’s flooded with past five-star talents and potential NBA Draft lottery picks.
Brown, though, emerged as a reliable rotational piece. The 6-foot-9 option averaged 17.6 minutes per game. He was shooting 62.9% from field goal range before his ailment. Brown averaged 2.5 points per game.
But Duke watched him become a force inside the paint on the defensive side. Brown grabbed 87 total rebounds, including 51 off the glass on defense. That handed him the sixth-best rebounding total on the Blue Devils.
Brown wasn’t just brought to Durham to haul in rebounds. Scheyer described him as a “defensive menace,” especially on the steals end. Brown snatched 30 total steals through 26 games played. He even intercepted four against his former team the Orange on Feb. 5. He’s also blocked nine total shots.
The native of Culpeper, Virginia played two seasons with Syracuse before hitting the transfer portal. He went on to average 7.7 points per game and six rebounds. He even led the ACC in steals with 71 during the 2023-24 season.
Brown’s loss leaves a defensive void. But star freshman Cooper Flagg is his own rebounding force — averaging a team-best 7.7 RPG per contest. Flagg also leads the way in steals. Khaman Maulach is one more rebounding force for Duke. Sion James is a steal machine, with 25 collected before the Virginia game.
Duke is now 23-3 overall and ranked No. 3 nationally. The Blue Devils have five games left before the ACC tourney.
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