Nobody had a better Summer League than Khaman Maluach.
He was knocked to the All-Summer League Second Team because the First Team went all rookies, and whatever, that’s fair. But we all know what we saw.
That’s the kind of dominance you’d expect from a lottery pick entering his second season on that stage. But just because you expected it does not mean we take it for granted. A double-double in all four games. The Summer League leader in rebounding. The first Suns player on an All-Summer League team
since 2021.
Pair that performance with a media day where his name came up more than anyone else’s, and the picture gets clear. Mark Williams will miss a large chunk of the season with a torn labrum in his shoulder, and Oso Ighodaro is the clear competition for Khaman. The starting center job should be his, and here’s why.
What the Tape Says
The production was real. Khaman put up 19.5 points, 12.8 rebounds, 2.0 blocks, and 1.3 steals per game in Vegas while shooting 53.2% from the field and 40% from three. Summer League numbers can sometimes lie, but he passed the eye test as well. On Portland’s first possession of the opener, he bodied his man and walled off the rim. That’s a filled-out frame doing grown-man work.
He is the vertical threat this starting unit needs. At 7’1″ with a 7’6¾” wingspan, every Devin Booker ball screen forces the low man to commit. Koa Peat found him for an alley-oop on the Suns’ first bucket in Vegas, and that’s the move. When the tagger has to respect the lob, the corner shooters get a cleaner look.
The “pop” is the new, potentially huge wrinkle. He attempted just 21 threes as a rookie, and 40% across four Vegas games is a small sample, so pump the brakes on calling him a stretch five. But even a willing, competent trail three drags the opposing center out of the paint. That opens a runway for Booker and others to get downhill, which is where Phoenix wins games.
If he is a vertical threat at the rim, and also has the ability to drag a big out to guard him on the perimeter, that’s a deadly combo.
Size Matters
This front office has spent two years chasing length and athleticism. Khaman is the purest version of that plan on the roster, along with fellow incoming sophomore Rasheer Fleming.
Oso has earned real respect, and he is without a doubt a long-term rotation piece. He started 24 games last season, and he’s a high-IQ playmaking hub with real defensive versatility. But the size gap matters. Khaman is listed at 7’1″ and 250 pounds with a 7’6¾” wingspan, while Oso is listed at 6’11” and 235 pounds. That shows up on the glass and at the rim against true centers. In a Western Conference full of size, the Suns can’t start a game giving that away.
Starting Khaman also makes the bench better. Oso slides into a second unit where his playmaking out of the short roll fits the reserve guards. Oso and Collin have developed some insane chemistry that is reminiscent of Steph-Draymond levels of in sync.
When Williams returns, Phoenix has a three-man center room and some serious depth to play with. Newcomer Duop Reath will be a factor in the meantime, especially if foul trouble or health issues come into play.
The Building Already Believes
Media day was a Khaman Maluach appreciation event. Front office members, coaches, and veterans brought him up unprompted.
Booker said Khaman reached out by text this summer asking to work, and the two ended up in the gym late at night together. His verdict: “I’d say he’s taken the biggest leap out of anybody that I’ve seen this summer.” Brian Gregory said Khaman’s body has changed and that he put in the work every single day, often twice a day.
New guard Pat Spencer said Khaman has the “best energy” he’s seen in the NBA. 10-Year veteran Luke Kennard said he’s one of the hardest workers he’s been around in the league. Even Oso, his direct competition, admitted that Khaman has gotten a lot better.
Khaman’s own words tell you the rest. “Tired is in the mind,” he said, and he defined a successful season by team wins and a playoff run, not his own numbers. That’s the guy you hand the keys to, raw or not.
The bigger picture matters too. Booker played some of his best basketball when Deandre Ayton was a rising young center (occasionally) catching lobs and finishing around the rim. A No. 10 pick with this work ethic, growing next to Booker, is how Phoenix raises its physical ceiling without another trade.
Will it come with growing pains? Of course.
When, Not If
Jordan Ott didn’t name a starter at media day, and the battle runs up to the Oct. 21 opener. “Camp is three weeks. We’re gonna mix around with some lineups,” he said.
This job becomes Khaman’s at some point this season. It feels inevitable. The only question is how many games Phoenix wants to waste finding that out. Start him on Oct. 21st. Live with the foul trouble and occasional miscues. Let him take his lumps next to Booker now, so they’re paying off and corrected come April.
Khaman Maluach is the future, and there’s no reason he can’t be the present either.
