As Duke’s drafted players began to make their way into the NBA, Cooper Flagg is universally expected to do well. Kon Knueppel made a big impression in Summer League play. Tyrese Proctor signed a multi-year deal with Cleveland and Charlotte has plans for Sion James.
In short, everyone has met or exceeded expectations so far...except for Khaman Maluach.
People seem to think that he’s already a dud, which is ridiculous.
Here’s the truth about Maluach.
Like everyone now, he was drafted as much on potential
as accomplishment. There are some undeniable things - he’s 7-2 and he has good instincts on defense. He moves his feet well and can guard smaller players.
But the other part is that he’s 18, he’s still growing into that 7-2 frame and until a year ago, he was a South Sudan refugee who was playing in Ugandan gyms without many resources.
Is he a project? To an extent, yes. We assumed people understood this. He’s not 100 percent ready for the NBA at this point.
But this is what his critics are overlooking.
Maluach developed very rapidly during his year at Duke. He was pretty timid at the beginning of the season but it didn’t take long for his instincts to kick in. He made life difficult in the lane, he was able to switch out on perimeter players defensively and he showed pretty good hands.
If you think he’s going to be a dominant player on Day One, he’s not. But he’s got a chance to develop into a truly impressive center.
Our guess is that when they interviewed him and did their due diligence, they realized that he has exceptional character, that he works really hard and learns quickly. We’re sure Jon Scheyer explained what an unusual person Malauch is.
Put all that together and would you wait for him to develop more? Most likely.
We’re sure the Suns realize that it will take some time for Maluach to develop, but they know he’s a worker and someone who has already advanced remarkably fast.
The doubters are going to feel foolish when he breaks through.
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