Didier Maleng’s pursuit for dominance on the basketball court is something that he prides himself on. The 6’9 F/C of Lawton Christian School in Lawton, OK spends a lot of time in the gym improving on his game and takes pride in putting in the work. His goal is to be a household name when all things are said and done, and he is just starting to scratch the surface in terms of his long-term potential.
He can make an immediate impact as soon as he steps on the floor. His size and length create mismatches no matter what opponent he is facing. He can catch and put it on the floor with either hand or score with ease around the basket. He has an extremely high offensive IQ and always seems to make the right plays in the flow of the offense. He is crafty around the basket and finishes with contact. He has spent a lot of time improving his ball handling and this has shown lately with him stepping further away from the basket and attacking the defense. He is a decent free throw shooter and spends a lot of his time improving from that area as well as stepping out and shooting the three. His height allows him to see over double teams and find his teammates for easy baskets.
Defensively he is someone who you can use to shut down opponents at multiple positions. He has elite level footwork and athleticism and takes pride on the defensive end. He is an above average shot blocker and alters many of the shots of opposing players who challenge him at the rim. He uses his long arms and quick instincts to get in passing lanes to get steals that lead to transition baskets, as well as getting deflections that may stop a team from getting an easy basket. Maleng is the ultimate package big picture wise, and if he continues to improve on both sides of the floor the talented Oklahoma standout will have his name among the top players nationally for his class when it’s all said and done.
He recently received an offer from SMU this is well deserved and has heard from several other schools in the region. We fully expect for this list to continue to grow and schools to make him a top target for their 2022 recruiting class with his hard work and determination on the floor.