Evaluating Khaman Maluach, Kon Knueppel, and Labaron Philon in the Elite Eight of the 2025 NCAA Tournament

April 1st, 2025

This was a highly anticipated Elite Eight matchup that took place between Duke and Alabama, with Duke coming in as the heavily favored team. This game featured numerous prospects for the 2025 draft, headlined by Cooper Flagg. Khaman Maluach, Kon Knueppel, and Labaron Philon were the standout performers of this game, and Duke was able to get a double-digit win over Alabama. Here are my thoughts on how they and other various prospects fared in this game, as well as how their games may translate to the NBA.

Duke’s 7-2 South Sudanese freshman center, Khaman Maluach scored 14 points on 6 of 7 shooting, had 9 rebounds, 2 blocks, 1 assists, 1 steal, and played terrific defense in his team’s 85-65 Elite Eight win over Alabama. (Photo: ClutchPoints, via Yardbarker)

Khaman Maluach had a terrific performance to help lead Duke to a double-digit win over Alabama. He did a great job at making plays on both ends of the floor, and he made a series of impressive plays to help his team get the victory.

Maluach showed a knack for scoring on rolls to the rim. He has great hands, as he would often catch lobs to score on thunderous, alley-oop dunks. He also managed to catch a lob off of a roll, and posted up to score on a tough, contested layup. He also managed to slip past a defender to get the ball to score on a magnetic jam.

He also displayed solid playmaking skills. Maluach passed the ball well, and he is an unselfish player that will look to find the open man. He also would set solid screens, as he was able to help his teammate get open on a cut to set up a score on offense. On one play though, he dropped a catchable high pass that ended up going out of bounds.

Plus, Maluach did a good job of rebounding the basketball. He also played tremendous defense in this game. He would often rotate to block shots to help his team protect the paint, and he would cover a lot of ground due to possessing great length, athleticism, timing, and instincts. He also would contest threes to force misses. He also stayed with an opposing ball handler and successfully contested a shot on a drive to get a stop for his team.

In general, Maluach had a terrific game, and he did a great job of making plays to help his team get the win, especially on the interior. He is a very athletic, energetic big man that has a fairly polished skill set, as he would likely excel as a rim runner and rim protector at the NBA level. He will likely be a lottery pick in the 2025 draft, and he has the skills to end up being a solid starter in the NBA.

Duke’s 6-6 freshman guard, Kon Knueppel scored 21 points, made 2 threes, and had 5 rebounds, 5 assists, and 3 steals in his team’s 85-65 win over Alabama. (Photo: Getty Images, via Sportskeeda)

Kon Knueppel had a strong showing to help lead his team to a win over Alabama. He had a very good all-around game, and he basically did everything well to help his team get the victory.

Knueppel showed a solid ability to knock down jumpers to provide floor spacing for his team on offense. He especially was effective at making spot-up threes off the catch, and he also was able to go to his left and pull up to score on a bank mid-range jumper. Plus, he also managed to score off of a cut. He also has a spin move and a pump fake that can allow him to score on crafty drives to the hoop. On the downside, he would sometimes tend to take tough, contested shots that would lead to some misses, but he generally shot the ball well in this game.

He also displayed good playmaking skills. Knueppel is a patient playmaker that tended to throw accurate lobs off the dribble and interior passes to notch plenty of assists. He tended to make very good reads and can find teammates on the move to get them the basketball. Sometimes though, he would throw hasty, inaccurate passes that would lead to some turnovers.

Also, he did an adequate job of rebounding the basketball. Knueppel was able to get boards on both ends of the floor, and he even was able to chase down a loose ball to save it to a teammate to help his team get a defensive rebound. He also defended well. He would jump on loose balls to get steals for his team, and he also would contest threes to force misses. Sometimes though, he would struggle to defend quicker players off the dribble, which would lead him to give up baskets.

In summary, Kon Knueppel played very well to help his team get a double-digit win over Alabama. He is having a very good tournament, and he is a skilled sharpshooting guard that will be a likely lottery pick in the 2025 draft, and he will likely end up being a very good complementary player in the NBA.

Alabama’s 6-4 freshman point guard, Labaron Philon scored 16 points, made 3 threes, and had 5 rebounds, 3 assists, and 3 steals in his team’s 85-65 loss to Duke. (Photo: Robert Deutsch/Imagn Images, via On3.com)

Labaron Philon also had a strong performance in his team’s tough loss to Duke. Philon is a speedy, fleet-footed playmaker that shot the ball very well, and he was able to make a string of impressive plays to help his team on offense.

Philon did a good job of knocking down outside shots, particularly from beyond the arc. He showed a knack for making threes both off the catch and dribble, and he showed off much better long-range shooting skills than anticipated. He dribbled off of a screen to make a three, ran off the ball to get it to make a smooth corner three another time, and he also made a wide open three later on.

He also excelled at scoring off the dribble. He was able to score on a quick drive in transition in traffic, and he is a speedy guard that would often draw fouls upon his defenders. On the downside, he would sometimes take tough shots from the mid-range that would lead to some misses, but Philon generally excelled at making shots in this game.

He also displayed good playmaking skills in this game. Philon is a fleet-footed playmaker that would make good passes off the dribble and can also find teammates on the move to set up plenty of scoring chances for his teammates. He also managed to quickly drive to the hoop and make a no-look drop off pass to a teammate on a cut to notch an assist due to possessing very good foot speed and court vision. On the downside, he can sometimes over-dribble, which led him to lose the ball to commit a couple of turnovers.

He also rebounded the ball well, especially for a player his size. Defensively, he looked to be fairly average. Philon was able to get his hands on passes to get steals and deflections, and he also poked a ball away to get a steal another time. On the downside, he would sometimes play too aggressively and wind up out of position, and he tended to take bad gambles, which would lead him to commit fouls and allow scores.

Overall, Philon had a strong performance in his team’s loss to Duke. He had a good freshman year on a loaded Alabama team, and he saved one of his best performances for his last game of the season. He’ll still need to be a more consistent outside shooter and will need to be a more disciplined defender in games, but his strong blend of athleticism, skills, and upside could enable him to be a likely first round pick in the 2025 draft, and he could end up being a solid starter in the NBA.

Cooper Flagg had his ups and downs in his team’s win over Alabama, but he was still able to make his mark on this game despite having an off shooting night. He didn’t have his trademark sterling performance, as he struggled to consistently make shots in this game, but he made a solid impact in the other ways, as he played very good defense and helped out as a ball mover to help his team get the victory.

Flagg shot the three-ball well in the limited amount of attempts he hoisted up from beyond the arc. He was able to utilize a ball fake to make a smooth, deep three-pointer. On the downside, he struggled to consistently make mid-range jumpers, and he tended to miss shots from that range. He also excelled at scoring out of the post, and Flagg was able to score on a turnaround jumper. He also active in looking to score on hustle plays, and while he didn’t make shots efficiently in this game, Flagg was able to run the floor to score on the break once.

He did a decent job of scoring off the dribble. He showed the scoring touch, footwork, and quickness to be able to make shots both from around the basket and the mid-range, but sometimes he wouldn’t get continuation, so he would end up drawing non-shooting fouls instead. Other times, he would force the issue too much, which led to some misses, and he even was unlucky other times, as he had a couple of his shots blocked around the basket.

Flagg also showcased adequate playmaking skills. He was able to make some good reads, as he can ably make a variety of passes to set up scoring chances for his teammates. He also was able to make a nifty behind-the-back pass off the dribble to find an open shooter, and Flagg also was able to throw an accurate lob to find a teammate around the basket. On the downside, he would sometimes throw hasty, inaccurate passes that would end up either going astray or intercepted. Another time, when driving to the hoop, he ended up taking an extra step and committed a traveling violation.

Also, Flagg showed a solid ability to rebound the basketball, and he was quite active on the glass to help his team get defensive boards. He also defended very well. Flagg is a rangy defender, and he did a great job of rotating to block and contest shots to help his team protect the paint and force misses, due to possessing great length, athleticism, and timing. He also was able to deflect a pass out of bounds. He also was able to successfully draw a charge when defending on a drive. He also used his length, athleticism, and instincts to cut off penetration when defending on a drive to force his man to commit a traveling violation. Flagg made a big impact to help his team greatly on the defensive end. His only notable miscue on the defensive end was when he bit on a pump fake to commit a foul on a put back once.

Overall, though Flagg didn’t have his best game, he was able to help his team in other ways to help his team get the win. He is still the odds-on favorite to be the top pick in the 2025 draft, and even when he has off nights, he is a team player whose commitment to the defensive end and making his teammates better are reasons why he will likely be a very good player in the NBA.

Aiden Sherrell had a solid showing in his team’s loss to Duke. He is a mobile, skilled big man that shot the ball especially well in the first half, and he was able to make a couple of open spot-up threes smoothly off the catch. On the downside, he didn’t play that much afterwards, and Alabama didn’t give him many opportunities to capitalize on open spot-up opportunities.

He also was able to get a board on each end of the floor to help chip in on the glass. He also looked to be about average on the defensive end. Sherrell was able to contest a mid-range shot to force a miss. On another play though, he rotated on a drive, but committed a foul and allowed a score that time.

Overall, Sherrell played well in limited minutes, and he could be due for substantially more playing time next season. He is an athletic, skilled big man that projects into a stretch big role, and he also has the physical tools to be a plus-level defender at the NBA level. He’ll need to play more and refine his overall game, but he could end up being a solid rotational big man in the NBA someday.

Tyrese Proctor quietly had a strong showing in his team’s win over Alabama. He especially shot the ball very well, and he was able to make some very solid plays on both ends of the floor.

Proctor shot the ball very well, especially from beyond the arc. He excelled as a spot-up shooter off the catch, and he also was able to run off of a ball screen to make an open three early on. He also managed to pull up to make a mid-range jumper smoothly. He also managed to score off of quick cuts and off the dribble in this game.

He also displayed satisfactory playmaking skills. Proctor has solid court vision, as he was able to throw an accurate lob pass to a roll man to notch an assist, and he also threw a crafty drop-off pass off the dribble to set up another score. On the downside, he also committed a couple of turnovers, as he threw an inaccurate lob pass that wound up hitting the glass and getting intercepted once, and he also had a ball poked away another time.

He also showed a satisfactory ability to rebound the basketball. He also played adequate defense. Proctor was able to quickly jump a pass to get a steal. He also managed to contest a shot off of a drive to force a miss. On the downside, he would sometimes struggle to defend quicker players and other times would play too aggressively and over-rotate, which would lead his team to commit fouls and allow scores.

Overall, Proctor played very well, as he primarily excelled as a sharpshooting marksman in this game, and he is an agile, skilled guard that would be a solid pick for an NBA team in the late first round of the 2025 draft.

Grant Nelson had a decent showing in his team’s tough loss to Duke. He was able to make some impressively athletic plays on both ends of the floor, and he looked to play better than the box score indicated.

Nelson showed a knack for scoring on hustle plays. He particularly thrived at scoring off of cuts, rolls, and in transition, and he tended to throw down emphatic dunks after getting the ball on the move. He also managed to score on a quick drive in transition once. On the downside, he missed both of his three-point shots, and he was unable to connect on shots from long distance.

He also displayed satisfactory playmaking skills. Nelson did a good job of making passes off the dribble, and he also threw an accurate lob pass to notch an assist. However, there was another play where he committed a charging foul when driving to the hoop that led him to commit an offensive foul and a turnover that time.

He also was able to get his fair share of boards, as he was able to get multiple boards on both ends of the floor. Nelson also defended well. He would stay in front of his man when defending off the dribble and in the post, which would enable him to force misses and turnovers. He also is active in contesting shots around the basket, and Nelson was able to hustle back to make a nice chase down block to a teammate to prevent an opponent from scoring on a dunk. Plus, he also ran in to intercept a pass to get a steal late in this game. On the downside, he would sometimes take bad gambles, which would lead him to commit reach-in fouls. Another time, he didn’t move his feet well when defending off the dribble once, which led his team to give up a basket that time.

Overall, Nelson had a fairly solid showing in his team’s loss to Duke. Though he didn’t shoot the ball as well from the outside, he generally excelled at making hustle plays, and he is an athletic big man that has shown promise on both ends of the floor. He is a second round prospect that could be worth a selection in the mid to late second round range, and Nelson could end up developing into a solid rotational big man in the NBA.

Caleb Foster also had a solid showing in his team’s win over Alabama. He especially excelled at making plays on offense, and he especially thrived as a playmaker in this game.

Foster was effective as a shot maker within a limited amount of touches. He managed to score on a quick cut to the hoop. He was able to make a quick spot-up three off the catch. He also would draw non-shooting fouls when driving to the hoop. On another play though when he drove to the basket, he ended up having his shot blocked that time.

He also did a great job of passing the basketball. Foster was able to push the pace off of a defensive board and made a nifty, no-look wraparound pass on the break to notch an assist. He also managed to find a cutter to set up another score for his teammate. He also tended to make timely passes to rack up assists.

Also, Foster was able to chip in on the glass to help his team get a couple of boards. Defensively, he was active, but he would play too aggressively at times, which would lead him to commit reach-in fouls.

Overall, Foster played well in limited minutes, and he especially excelled as a playmaker on offense. He’s had his ups and downs this season, but he is an athletic, skilled guard that may be one year away from having a breakout season in college basketball, and he could end up being a versatile role player in the NBA.

Sion James had a decent showing in his team’s win over Alabama. He quietly had a solid all-around performance in this game. James was effective as a scorer off the dribble, and he also was able to score on a powerful dunk off of a backdoor cut. He also passed the ball well, as he tended to make solid passes off the dribble and on the move to set up scores for his teammates. On one play though, he lost the ball when handling it to commit a turnover.

Also, James rebounded the ball very well. He also played adequate defense. He was able to get his hands on a pass to get a steal. He also contested a corner three to force a miss. Sometimes though, he wouldn’t move his feet well when defending off the dribble, which can lead his team to wind up in compromised situations and give up baskets at the rim.

Overall, James had a solid showing in his team’s win over Alabama, and he is a second round prospect that projects to be a solid role player in the NBA.

Isaiah Evans played fairly well in limited minutes in his team’s win over Alabama. He was able to get the ball on a backdoor cut to score on an emphatic dunk to showcase his ability to move off the ball and his solid athletic gifts. Another time though, he moved off the ball, but missed on a deep three, and he didn’t get another chance to take shots from beyond the arc. He also defended well. Evans would contest threes to force misses, and he was active in helping his team get stops.

Overall, this wasn’t the best showcase game for Evans, and he’ll need more consistent playing time in the future, but in examining all of the games combined, he’s shown promise as a 3 and D sort of swingman that could end up being a solid second round pick in the 2025 draft, as he could end up being a better player in the NBA than at the collegiate level.

Derrion Reid also played fairly well in limited minutes in his team’s tough loss to Duke. He is an athletic, energetic forward that was able to make some solid plays on both ends of the floor. Reid was able to score on a crafty drive in transition in traffic. Another time though, he missed on a spot-up three-point attempt from long distance. He also showcased satisfactory playmaking skills. He showed that he can make passes off the dribble and out of the high post to set up scoring chances for his teammates. Another time though, he drove to the hoop but got the ball ripped away from him to commit a turnover.

While he didn’t grab many rebounds in this game, Reid was able to leap up to get a quick offensive rebound early on. He also showed promising defensive skills, and Reid was able to jump on a loose ball that an opposing ball handler lost to help his team get a steal.

Overall, Reid had a decent showing in this game, and while he’ll need more consistent playing time and to be a more consistent player in games, he is a promising player that could be worth a pick in the second round of the 2025 draft, as he could end up being a versatile role player in the NBA.

Chris Youngblood had a decent showing in his team’s double-digit loss to Duke. Despite not shooting the three-ball well, he excelled as a scorer off the dribble, as he particularly excels at going to his left, and he has a crafty pump fake that he can use to get open. His strong pump fake game enabled him to make a deep pull-up three early on, he also managed to score on a left-handed drive while getting fouled another time, as well as on a mid-range shot later on.

He also showed off adequate playmaking skills. While he didn’t look to pass the ball much, he was able to quickly swing the ball to get an assist once. He also showed a solid ability to rebound the basketball, and he was able to get boards on both ends of the floor. He also defended fairly well. He was able to alter a shot off of a drive to force a miss. He also dove for a loose ball off of a low pass and tied up his opponent to help his team get a steal.

Overall, Youngblood is a skilled combo guard that can make shots and is an active defender that can play tough defense. He’ll need to show NBA teams that he can reliably run the point, but his ability to make shots combined with his intangibles could enable him to make it to the NBA someday.

Clifford Omoruyi didn’t have as a strong of a game that he’s had recently, but he still was able to make some very solid plays on the defensive end. He defended fairly well, as he was an interior presence down low, and he would rotate to block shots off the dribble to get stops for his team. He was active in contesting shots to help his team protect the paint. On the downside, there was one play where he struggled to defend on a baseline drive, which led him to commit a reach-in foul that time.

Though he didn’t grab many rebounds in this game, he was able to get a board on each end of the floor. While he wasn’t especially effective on offense, he was able to catch a lob to score early on. However, he tended to struggle to score in traffic, and he also didn’t take many shots in this game.

Overall, Omoruyi is an athletic, energetic big man whose defense is ahead of his offense right now. He’ll need to expand his skill set offensively, but in a favorable scenario, his size, athleticism, and defense could enable him to be a solid backup center at the NBA level.

Mark Sears played very poorly in his team’s loss to Duke, and his play was extremely disappointing in this game. He didn’t shoot the ball well at all, and it was just astonishing that he was just so bad for most of this game. He really struggled to make shots, particularly from the outside, and he had some awful misses that missed badly. He did seem to have a decent stretch run in the second half, as he was able to run the floor to make a corner three on the break, and he also pulled up to make a mid-range shot another time. However, Sears tended to miss threes both off the catch and dribble, and he also really struggled to score off the dribble. He tended to miss on floaters, and he even had a weird miss where he had an open layup opportunity, but then went backwards and missed on an off-balanced, fadeaway layup.

Sears showcased satisfactory playmaking skills in this game. He was effective at making drive and kick passes as well as finding teammates on the move to set up plenty of scoring chances for them. He even made one nifty drive and kick pass and set a solid screen for his teammate to help him score on a jump shot. On the downside, he would struggle to create separation against Duke’s taller, longer, and more athletic defenders, which would lead him to commit some ball-handling turnovers, and he would tend to over-dribble that would get him into trouble.

He also was unable to grab a rebound in this game, but he was able to box out his man on a defensive rebounding attempt to force an over-the-back foul on an opponent once. Defensively, he was active, but he would sometimes go the wrong way when defending screens, which led him to trail a ball handler that led his team to a scramble situation and give up the basket that time. His lack of size also made it difficult to defend in the post, which led him to allow another score once.

Overall, Sears had a terrible performance on the big stage, and unfortunately, his extremely tepid showing did little to dispel concerns regarding his size or athleticism, or possible lack thereof, as his inability to make shots or plays in this game really hindered Alabama’s ability to stay with Duke in this game, although Duke is a really talented team that was going to win anyways. Still, Sears has been very solid for most of the season, and he is a second round prospect that projects to be a game-managing, backup point guard at the NBA level.

Jarin Stevenson didn’t have a great game, but he also didn’t play much in his team’s loss to Duke. He was held scoreless on offense, as he got his shot blocked on a roll to the rim, and he also missed on an open corner three from beyond the arc.

He did seem to display adequate playmaking skills. Stevenson was able to pass out of the post to set up a scoring chance for a teammate. There was another play where he appeared to travel when handling the ball, but no call was made that time.

Though he didn’t get many rebounds, Stevenson was able to get a board on each end of the floor. He also seemed to play adequate defense. He was able to leap up to deflect a pass to a teammate to help his team get a steal. On another play though, he struggled to move his feet when defending a drive out on the perimeter, which led him to commit a reach-in foul that time.

Overall, Stevenson didn’t play well, but he also didn’t play much in his team’s loss to Duke. This wasn’t the best game to showcase his skills, and he’ll need more playing time to polish up his skills, but Stevenson is a second round prospect whose athleticism, shooting and defensive potential could enable him to be a rotational big man at the NBA level.

All in all, those are my thoughts on how Maluach, Knueppel, Philon, Flagg, and other various prospects fared in this game. Thanks for reading.