Even with Mark Williams back on a three-year deal, Khaman Maluach is still one of the Suns’ biggest long-term swing pieces. The second-year center from South Sudan is treating his growth like a personal project, and that has meant leaning on some of the game’s best big men for guidance.
Maluach said he reached out to Rudy Gobert to ask about the work behind the scenes.
“ I reached out to Rudy (Gobert) and I asked him how he keeps up with his body,” Maluach said recently, per Hayden Ciley of Clutch Points (Twitter video link). “ What he does throughout the whole summer, and just really learn from him and have something to take away from him.
He said he has spent the summer in the weight room and has also been picking the brains of veterans as he looks to get stronger and keep building his game.
The early returns have been strong. In Summer League, Maluach put up double-doubles in all four games and averaged 19.5 points. The most eye-catching part of that run may have been the shot that could change how Phoenix uses him next season: the three-pointer.
He went 8-for-20 from deep across those four games, showing a level of comfort and willingness that stood out after he made just 23.8% of his threes as a rookie. Gerald Bourguet of AZ Central noted that if that shooting carries over, it could open the door for two-big lineups with Oso Ighodaro.
Phoenix also addressed another need by adding Luke Kennard, and Duane Rankin of AZ Central points to why that move matters after the Suns lost Grayson Allen and Royce O’Neale in a trade with the Hornets. Allen shot 41.0% from three on 6.6 attempts per game in his three seasons with Phoenix, while O’Neale hit 40.7% over his last two seasons with the team.
Kennard won’t be a perfect one-for-one replacement, but his resume is built on elite shooting - he has led the league in three-point percentage three different times - and he comes off a playoff run with the Lakers that pushed him to be more aggressive. Even so, his volume has generally lagged behind players like Allen, who has taken 506 more threes over the last three years than Kennard.
Seth Curry’s situation with the Warriors is a little different. His return to the Bay Area last season was supposed to bring a reunion with his brother, but injuries limited him to just 10 games, and that setback still isn’t fully behind him, Will Simonds writes for NBC Sports. The 35-year-old free agent would still be open to another shot with Golden State, though, and he’s spending the offseason trying to get right while waiting to see what free agency brings.
“ I’m just trying to get completely healthy still, in the offseason and see what happens here in July and August with free agency,” Curry said last week. “ A lot of turnover throughout the league with a lot of transactions. At this point in my career, just trying to find a perfect situation for me, and see what happens going forward this summer.”
For the Clippers, Yanic Konan Niederhauser is also in recovery mode. He was beginning to settle in before a right foot injury ended his season early, and he missed Summer League while working back from surgery. Still, Joey Linn writes that the progress has been encouraging, especially physically.
“ I’ve been gaining weight, putting in as much work as I can and doing whatever I can do right now,” he said. “ Just controlling what I can control.
I was 238 [pounds] when I got hurt, so that’s 27 pounds. Once I got hurt and heard I had to get surgery and everything, I started thinking, ‘What can I do now?
What’s next?’ One thing was just to work to get heavier and stronger.
That’s what I focused on the whole time because that’s what I could do.”
Niederhauser also said he feels better about his jump shot and his touch around the basket. What stings most about missing Summer League, he said, is not getting the chance to build chemistry with top-five pick Keaton Wagler.
In Other News...
Suns Young Core Faces Real Pressure Around Devin Booker
Khaman Maluach arrived in Phoenix with the kind of long-term upside that can make a rebuilding timeline feel a little less abstract, and his first year offered both the promise and the patience that usually come with a 19-year-old center. The 10th overall pick had a limited role in the NBA, but he looked far more comfortable when the game slowed down in the G League and Summer League, where his size and activity showed up more naturally.
Now the Suns are asking for a more complete second act from him, with Maluach focused on the kind of growth that usually decides whether a young big man stays on the floor or keeps waiting for his turn. Phoenix also brought in Koa Peat, the 30th pick, giving the roster another rookie who will be trying to carve out a place around Devin Booker, and the early challenge is less about highlights than about who can handle the details well enough to earn real trust. [Read more 🡒]
Vegas Just Sent Suns Fans A Message They Wont Like
The early betting market has already put a number on Phoenixs season, and it is a lot less flattering than the mood around the team. FanDuels win total sits at 38.5, a figure that lands well short of the roughly 50 wins plenty of Suns fans have been talking themselves into after a busy offseason and a roster that still has enough name value to draw attention.
There is some recent history here that should keep everyone honest. Oddsmakers were skeptical of Phoenix a year ago too, and the Suns blew past a 30.5-win line in a way that reminded bettors how quickly preseason assumptions can age. This time, though, the market is signaling a tougher path in the West, and the gap between fan optimism and Vegas view is already one of the more interesting storylines hanging over the team. [Read more 🡒]
Koa Peat Just Gave Suns Fans Another Reason To Believe
Koa Peats first taste of Suns basketball gave the organization plenty to like. The 30th overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft was one of the standouts in Summer League, producing across four games and showing the blend of skill and physicality Phoenix hoped to add when it moved up to get him.
Brian Gregory has already pointed to Peats fit with the teams culture and his connection to the Phoenix community, and the rookies next step is straightforward: head back to Phoenix and keep working. After being shut down for the final Summer League game along with Khaman Maluach and Rasheer Fleming, Peat leaves Las Vegas with momentum, and with even more reason for Suns fans to keep watching. [Read more 🡒]