Twitter Gold: Congrats, Maliq!

DURHAM, NORTH CAROLINA - FEBRUARY 28: Jacari White #6 of the Virginia Cavaliers battles Maliq Brown #6 of the Duke Blue Devils for a loose ball during the first half of the game at Cameron Indoor Stadium on February 28, 2026 in Durham, North Carolina. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images) | Getty Images

Things have changed since the transfer portal began, but over the years, Duke has traditionally not brought in a lot of transfers. Naturally, some have done better than others. Roshown McLeod had a nice career at Duke, as did Dahntay Jones, Seth Curry, Ryan Young, and Sion James.

If you turn the frame a bit though, and ask which transfers became the most beloved by Duke fans, the answers change. There was Theo John, who the Crazies really took to, Sion James, who had a terrific year at Duke, and of course, Ryan Young, who spent two years mostly defying his physical limitations, which earned him immense respect.

But it would be hard to argue that any transfer has been more beloved than Maliq Brown.

If he were still alive and covering games, you get the feeling that Brown is a player that Bill Russell would have loved. Brown is not nearly as talented as Russell was physically, but like Russell, the genius of his game is mental, and the focus is defense.

He anticipates as well as anyone we can remember. Being in the right place at the right time, consistently, is not an accident. It’s an understanding of the game that is sublime.

Like Russell, Brown can influence the flow of the game without having his hands on the ball, at least until he takes it away from someone.

Most Duke fans who saw Billy King play would agree that he was the best defender Duke had ever seen. Brown is the first guy who challenges that. He’s that good.