Nobody in Suns camp made a louder case this summer than Khaman Maluach.
He didn’t just hold his own in Las Vegas. He owned the place.
Maluach was named to the All-Summer League Second Team after a run that included a double-double in all four games, a Summer League-best 12.8 rebounds per game, and the first Suns All-Summer League nod since 2021. The First Team was all rookies, so the placement makes sense on paper.
But the production spoke for itself.
That showing lined up with a media day in which his name came up over and over again, and the message around the team was hard to miss. Mark Williams is set to miss a large chunk of the season with a torn labrum in his shoulder, and Oso Ighodaro is the main competition for the job. Right now, the path points straight at Maluach.
The numbers from Vegas backed up the eye test. He averaged 19.5 points, 12.8 rebounds, 2.0 blocks, and 1.3 steals while shooting 53.2% from the field and 40% from three.
Summer League can fool you, but this wasn’t empty production. On Portland’s first possession of the opener, he used his frame to dislodge his man and shut off the rim.
That’s real size doing real work.
What makes him so intriguing is how he fits the Suns’ offense. At 7’1” with a 7’6¾” wingspan, he changes the geometry of a Devin Booker pick-and-roll.
The low man has to stay honest because the lob is there, and that opens up cleaner looks for the shooters spaced around the action. Koa Peat already showed how that can look, finding Maluach for an alley-oop on the Suns’ first basket in Vegas.
Then there’s the new wrinkle: the “pop.” Maluach only took 21 threes as a rookie, so nobody should rush to label him a stretch five.
But he hit 40% from deep in Vegas, and even a credible trail three matters. It forces the opposing center to leave the paint, and that gives Booker and the rest of Phoenix a clearer lane to attack downhill.
The size argument is just as important. This front office has spent two years chasing length and athleticism, and Maluach is the cleanest version of that idea on the roster, alongside incoming sophomore Rasheer Fleming.
Ighodaro deserves credit - he started 24 games last season and gives the Suns real playmaking and defensive versatility - but the physical gap is obvious. Maluach is listed at 7’1” and 250 pounds with a 7’6¾” wingspan, while Ighodaro is listed at 6’11” and 235.
Against true centers, that difference shows up on the glass and at the rim. In a Western Conference loaded with size, Phoenix can’t afford to give that away from the opening tip.
Starting Maluach would also make the bench look better. Ighodaro can slide into a second-unit role where his short-roll passing fits the reserve guards, and he and Collin have built chemistry that’s been described as reminiscent of Steph-Draymond levels of in sync. When Williams returns, the Suns will have three centers to sort through, plus newcomer Duop Reath as another option if foul trouble or health issues hit.
The praise around Maluach wasn’t limited to the box score. Media day turned into a Khaman Maluach appreciation session.
Devin Booker said Maluach texted him this summer about working together, and the two wound up in the gym late at night. Booker’s assessment: “I’d say he’s taken the biggest leap out of anybody that I’ve seen this summer.”
Brian Gregory said his body has changed and that he worked every day, often twice a day.
The compliments kept coming. Pat Spencer called his energy the “best” he’s seen in the NBA.
Luke Kennard said he’s one of the hardest workers he’s been around in the league. Even Ighodaro, the player he’s competing with, admitted Maluach has improved a lot.
Maluach’s own words fit the picture. “Tired is in the mind,” he said, and he measured a successful season by team wins and a playoff run, not personal stats. That’s the kind of mindset you trust with a bigger role.
There’s also a familiar template here. Booker played some of his best basketball with Deandre Ayton as a young center catching lobs and finishing around the rim. A No. 10 pick with Maluach’s work ethic, growing next to Booker, gives Phoenix a chance to raise its physical ceiling without making another move.
Jordan Ott didn’t hand out the job at media day, and he made clear the battle will continue through camp and up to the Oct. 21 opener. “Camp is three weeks. We’re gonna mix around with some lineups,” he said.
But the answer feels obvious. This is Maluach’s spot sooner or later.
The real decision is whether Phoenix wants to spend the season discovering it, or whether it wants to start finding out now. Start him on Oct.
- Let him take the fouls and the mistakes early.
That’s how the Suns get the payoff later.
In Other News...
Suns Just Sent A Clear Message About Two Young Roster Pieces
The Suns have made their intentions pretty clear with two of their younger pieces, picking up team options for Khaman Maluach and Ryan Dunn for the 2027-28 season. For a roster that has leaned heavily on established talent, the move keeps both players in the fold and signals that Phoenix sees value in letting its development track keep moving forward.
Dunn is set to enter the fourth and final year of his rookie contract, while Maluach will be heading into his third season, and both remain among the clubs most intriguing prospects. More importantly for Phoenix, they are still competing for meaningful roles, which gives the Suns a chance to see whether that long-term optimism turns into real rotation help. [Read more 🡒]
Suns Still Have One Big Starting Center Decision To Make
The Suns still have a starting-center call hanging over camp, with Jordan Ott saying he has not settled on whether Khaman Maluach or Oso Ighodaro will open the season in the first unit. It is the kind of decision that usually reveals a coachs early trust hierarchy, but Ott has chosen to keep it open for now, letting the competition breathe as the regular season gets closer.
Maluach has at least spent the offseason trying to speed up his own rise, working with Devin Booker as part of an effort to sharpen his game and fit more naturally into the teams future. For Phoenix, the choice is about more than one spot in the lineup, because the answer will say plenty about how quickly the Suns want to lean into their younger size up front and what sort of frontcourt identity they want to establish from the start. [Read more 🡒]
Suns Face A Tough Extension Call On Key Young Pieces
The Suns have spent much of the early season sorting through a familiar front office puzzle: which of their younger pieces deserve long-term security, and which ones should play their way into it. Dillon Brooks already has his three-year extension in hand, but Phoenix still has multiple decisions coming up on players who are either newly eligible or approaching that stage, including Miles Bridges and Torrey Green. For a roster trying to balance present expectations with future flexibility, these talks matter almost as much as what happens on the court.
Phoenix is expected to let the performances do the talking before making any real commitments, which keeps the pressure on a little longer for everyone involved. Bridges arrived in a recent trade and gives the Suns a significant name to weigh, while Ighodaro is another player the team could view as part of a cost-conscious future if the fit is right. The next stretch should clarify whether Phoenix sees this group as a core worth locking in or a collection of assets best judged one season at a time. [Read more 🡒]