Khaman Maluach didn’t get heavy minutes in his first season with Phoenix, but the rookie center spent the summer showing why the Suns still see real upside. The 19-year-old, taken 10th overall in last year’s draft, played in 46 games and averaged 3.0 points and 2.9 rebounds in 8.9 minutes per night. He also logged 11 G League games, where his production jumped to 16.5 points, 12.7 rebounds and 2.5 blocks in 30.3 minutes per game.
That momentum carried into Summer League in Las Vegas, where the 7-foot-1 big man from South Sudan was one of Phoenix’s most productive players. Across four games, Maluach posted 19.5 points, 12.8 rebounds, 2.0 blocks and 1.3 steals in 27.4 minutes per contest. He also knocked down 8 of 20 shots from beyond the arc, a 40.0% clip that hinted at another layer to his game.
Even so, Maluach made clear that the Suns are asking him to anchor the paint first. In comments to Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic, he said he has spent the summer sharpening his hands, rebounding and decision-making in the pocket. He knows the path to more minutes in year two starts with the basics.
“ Rebounding. Playing defense.
That’s what our team needs,” Maluach said. “ I got to show what our team needs and show I can do it now and keep on getting better.
I can’t repeat the same mistakes I did a year ago. I just got to keep on getting better and learning from my mistakes.
It’s OK for rookies to make mistakes, but the problem is if you keep on making the same mistakes all the time. I just got to find a way to keep on getting better and learning from my mistakes.”
Maluach said the jumper matters, but not as much as the work he’s doing inside. He called the three-point shot the “icing on the cake,” while saying his main focus is to “dominate on the inside.” The rest of his summer work has centered on strength, speed and body maintenance.
“ It’s really just strength. Speed.
Really just working on my body,” Maluach said of improving his rebounding and defense. “ Being able to stay healthy and being able to play the whole season and go through that.
It’s just really my strength, my base, my hands. Those are the things I’ve been working on this summer.
Hand-eye coordination, the feet and everything else.”
Phoenix also brought in another young piece in Koa Peat, the 30th pick in last month’s draft, whose rights the Suns acquired in a four-team trade with New York. The former Arizona standout put up 16.8 points, 4.8 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.5 steals in four Summer League games in Las Vegas, playing 27.2 minutes per contest.
Peat, 19, said in an NBA on Prime interview with Andre Iguodala that he plans to keep grinding before his rookie season begins.
“ Taking it one day at a time,” Peat said. “ Getting better every day.
Not taking any of these days for granted. Staying in the gym.
After this, I’m going to go back to Phoenix. Get to work.
Stay in the gym. Try to become the best version of myself.”
He’s also eager to learn alongside Devin Booker. Peat told Rankin that he wants to make the most of the chance to play off the Suns’ star guard.
“ Just playing off him,” Peat said Saturday. “ Trying to make him better as a player.
Doing the little things. Creating for him and just learning from him.
He’s one of the best players in the league. He’s a legend.
I think that’s going to help my game for sure.”
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The intrigue is whether Bouyea can slide into the defensive lane opened up by the departures of Royce ONeale and Grayson Allen, giving Phoenix another option to throw at bigger wings and forwards. His length and willingness to take on those matchups make him an interesting fit, but the offensive side remains the question, especially with the Suns needing to sort out how much of Allens shooting they can realistically replace. [Read more 🡒]
Koa Peat Embraces Devin Bookers Role In His Suns Journey
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Selected 30th in the draft, Peat knows his path to a roster role will depend on more than talent alone. For now, he is focused on becoming the kind of teammate who can help Booker and, in turn, sharpen his own game by absorbing as much as he can from one of the Suns most important voices. [Read more 🡒]
Khaman Maluach Is Giving Suns Fans Real Reason To Believe
Khaman Maluach did enough in four Summer League games to turn a promising debut into something closer to a statement. The Suns big man averaged 19.5 points and 12.8 rebounds, posted a double-double in every outing before being rested, and flashed the kind of rim protection and floor spacing that can change how a front line looks. For a team looking for reasons to feel better about its long-term outlook, that kind of start matters.
The buzz around Maluach has only grown because the production came with broader attention from national observers, who saw a player already showing real two-way utility. The next question is whether that performance gets the formal recognition it seems to deserve, with All-Summer League selections still pending and the Suns waiting to see just how high this early momentum can carry their newest interior piece. [Read more 🡒]