Khaman Maluach’s summer has gone from quiet rookie uncertainty to a little national shine.
After a first NBA season in which the Phoenix Suns center looked overwhelmed at times and played less than nine minutes per game, the 19-year-old turned heads in Las Vegas with a strong Summer League run. He was so effective that Phoenix shut him down after just four appearances and brought him back to The Valley early.
That stretch was enough to get him noticed by ESPN’s Ben Golliver, who named Maluach the Most Improved Sophomore in Summer League. It’s a niche honor, sure, but it still counts as meaningful recognition for a player who looked far more comfortable than he did a year ago.
Maluach, the former Duke standout and the 10th overall pick, showed why big men often need more time to settle in. Against players his own age and others just trying to hang onto NBA jobs, the South Sudanese center stood out as being on another level. Even the seven turnovers he committed in one game can be read as part of the story, because it reflected a willingness to handle the ball in ways that simply weren’t there last season.
None of that means the leap will carry over immediately when the 2026-27 season begins. But it was the kind of performance that warranted attention, and it marked another step forward for Maluach.
For the Suns, the bigger takeaway is simple: this is exactly what they wanted to see. A young center making a real impact on both ends against peers in the same age and talent range is a good sign, and Maluach’s rise only adds to the sense that Phoenix can still find value with future draft picks.
It also makes the Suns’ decision to keep giving away future draft picks look even more puzzling, especially with Maluach and Koa Peat already showing the kind of upside that can matter. Mark Williams is still in the picture, so this isn’t about clearing the runway just yet. But for Maluach, the national recognition is a welcome step, and one that fits the idea of building another winner around Devin Booker.
Right now, he already looks like the best center in Phoenix since Deandre Ayton.
In Other News...
Suns Draft Strategy Is Starting To Look Worse Around Booker
The Suns have spent the last several years pushing future draft capital into the present, trying to build a better support system around Devin Booker before the window narrows any further. Some of those swings have at least given them reasons for optimism, with recent additions like Khaman Maluach and Koa Peat offering early signs that not every move has been a miss, and Oso Ighodaro settling into a rotation role as another small win for the front office.
But the bigger picture still feels unsettled, because Phoenix keeps paying a premium to chase immediate help while its long-term flexibility gets thinner. The Bridges trade is only the latest reminder that the Suns are betting heavily on the idea that enough young talent can be found and developed to offset what keeps going out the door, and that is not a strategy with much margin for error. [Read more 🡒]
Suns Still Seem One Move Away From Solving A Growing Concern
Phoenix has spent the offseason doing plenty of roster work already, from the Miles Bridges trade to keeping Collin Gillespie, Jordan Goodwin and Mark Williams, while also bringing in Luke Kennard and adding Koa Peat in the draft. The Suns even showed last fall how willing they can be to keep tinkering late, when they sent Deandre Ayton to Portland in a deal that reshaped the group on the fly.
Even with all that activity, the projected starting lineup still looks like it could use one more adjustment before it feels truly balanced. The fit questions are real enough to keep the front office watching, but there is no sense of urgency around an immediate move, which leaves Phoenix in a familiar spot: close to being set, yet still one step from solving the concern that keeps hanging over the roster. [Read more 🡒]