Duke Blue Devils' Maliq Brown Selected No. 44 in 2026 NBA Draft

The San Antonio Spurs have selected Duke Blue Devils forward Maliq Brown with the 44th overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft.

Brown played all four years of college, starting at Syracuse in his first two seasons. In his freshman campaign, he averaged 5.7 points and 4.6 rebounds per game, shooting 69.8 percent from the field.

In his sophomore season, Brown averaged 9.5 points, 7.2 rebounds, 1.8 assists, and 2.2 steals per game, shooting 69.8 percent from the field and 36.8 percent from three.

He then transferred to Duke, where he played a pivotal role as a defender over two seasons. In his junior campaign, Brown averaged 2.5 points, 3.7 rebounds, 1.5 assists, and 1.3 steals while shooting 65.9 percent from the floor and 33.3 percent from deep.

He played a key role for the Blue Devils in his senior season, averaging 4.9 points, 5.2 rebounds, 1.6 assists, and 1.8 steals per game, shooting 62.9 percent from the field and 16.7 percent from behind the arc.

While Brown isn't a polished offensive player, he will be able to contribute on the defensive end of the floor right away. 

He is a versatile defender with great switchability and has shown he can get in the passing lanes. 

His size and defense will fit well in the Spurs system alongside generational talent and defender Victor Wembanyama. San Antonio made it to the NBA Finals in the 2026 season and doesn't need much to make another run in the 2026-27 season.

While Brown will need to develop his offensive game and three-point shooting, his defense could be valuable to the Spurs right away, and he could be a role player for the team in his rookie season.

Brown is the third Blue Devil to be selected as Cam Boozer went third overall to the Memphis Grizzlies, and Isaiah Evans went 33rd overall to the Minnesota Timberwolves. While these are major losses, Duke still has the talent on the roster to be a top team once again in the 2026-27 season. 

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