Welcome to the Phoenix Suns: Khaman Maluach!

[Fo-Real]

The more highlights I watch the more his movement on the court pops. Could he be our Holmgren? Idk but looking forward to finding out.

Twin tower Pf you say???

if you want a twin tower PF for defense I would look at matching Maluach up with Fleming (which is what I believe that the Suns are planning).

Bro, Fleming is 6"8/ 6"9 and thin for Pf. I wouldn't consider him a tower.

[Waylay13]

Twin tower Pf you say???

if you want a twin tower PF for defense I would look at matching Maluach up with Fleming (which is what I believe that the Suns are planning).

Bro, Fleming is 6"8/ 6"9 and thin for Pf. I wouldn't consider him a tower.

Flaming is 6’9” with a 7’5” wingspan and is known as a very good defender.

[ImNotMcDiSwear]

The more highlights I watch the more his movement on the court pops. Could he be our Holmgren? Idk but looking forward to finding out.

The thing I'm noticing is that he's never in fifth gear. He doesn't jump as high as he can, but he jumps a lot. He stays centered and stable. His feet are quick. His hands are fast and accurate. He works hard, but safe.

As much as we moan and groan about the position we're in as a franchise, you're pretty much golden if you manage to draft a superstar. I'm holding my breath!

[Saberestar]

[NapoleonII]

He should be modeling his game after Chet.

Quiet, fundamental, focusing on altering shots, being versatile with a good shooting touch.

The fact that he isn't a stick will help him a lot.

[lilfishi22]

I wish we're not so focused on getting him to shoot 3's. Like I know it's a good shot to have but I'd much rather he works on his PnR or short roll passing fundamentals in his rookie season. Did he need to take that many 3's? In this clip where he took the 3, that was a great opportunity to dive and giving Dunn the triple (or at least double) threat option but instead he's just hanging out, not particularly far from Dunn and at that point we're 5 out and making it impossible to Dunn to do anything other than give up the ball.

Credit Maluach for hitting the 3 but I'd much rather he just roll through.

[alldayeveryday]

There’s a lot to like about Maluach, but what stood out most wasn’t in the stat sheet—it was in the way he moved. His off-ball awareness is already ahead of the curve. He cuts with timing and purpose, and that kind of instinct will pay immediate dividends playing next to a downhill guard like Jalen Green, who’s more comfortable threading dump-offs than spraying out to shooters.

You can see flashes of face-up potential too. He’s not just a lob threat or dunker spot guy—there’s something there with his handle, even if it’s raw. He’s testing the edges of his game, which is exactly what you want from an 18-year-old project big in July.

What you don’t want is someone who looks overwhelmed. Khaman? He showed the opposite. He was aggressive. Assertive. He competed like he belonged. No hesitation, no timid steps. He didn’t just run the floor—he owned his space. Played with real force.

I came away impressed with his touch and coordination. He’s comfortable finishing with either hand, has a naturally soft touch around the rim, and his timing as a rim protector is well ahead of schedule. He made his name in college as a paint presence—crashing the glass, swatting shots, controlling his area—but in Phoenix, they’re clearly experimenting with more. They’re asking him to stretch, to explore, to fail in productive ways.

He’s going to get knocked around by grown men. Jokic is going to put his shoulder in his chest. Sabonis will carve out real estate he didn’t know he owned. But that’s the point. He has to feel it. He has to grow. And with the right vets and structure, he will grow.

Right now, it’s not about makes and misses. It’s about seeing a young big who cares. Who competes. Who’s trying to learn. That’s the foundation you build on.

Maluach isn’t just another raw big. There’s more to this kid—and Phoenix knows it.

[Saberestar]

Brett Siegel:

I think the Suns hit a gold mine with Khaman Maluach.

He isn’t playing today, but he’s rarely sat down on the bench today with Phoenix playing Atlanta, and he’s been one of the most vocal guys in the arena.

Infectious, positive energy.

[Saberestar]

I wish we're not so focused on getting him to shoot 3's. Like I know it's a good shot to have but I'd much rather he works on his PnR or short roll passing fundamentals in his rookie season. Did he need to take that many 3's? In this clip where he took the 3, that was a great opportunity to dive and giving Dunn the triple (or at least double) threat option but instead he's just hanging out, not particularly far from Dunn and at that point we're 5 out and making it impossible to Dunn to do anything other than give up the ball.

Credit Maluach for hitting the 3 but I'd much rather he just roll through.

D. Carroll explicitly said that he wants Maluach shooting 5/6 threes per game in Summer League.

[NapoleonII]

Maluach

and an improved Dunn?

Going to be a fun defensive side of the game this year at least.

They have all the tools to wreck havoc.

[Saberestar]

[Saberestar]

Watch on YouTube

[Frank Lee]

He should be modeling his game after Chet.

Quiet, fundamental, focusing on altering shots, being versatile with a good shooting touch.

The fact that he isn't a stick will help him a lot.

There is absolutely nothing that says Maluach can be anything like Chet. Ludicrous to suggest he model his game after someone who has a skill level he will never possess.

Lots of hope from the diehard optimists. Too early to condemn the pick, but also way too early to project positive value. More so the latter.

Hello G League

[Saberestar]

For those worried about his low FT shooting percentages in Summer League:

He shot FT% 76.6 at Duke.

Khaman Maluach, while playing for the City Oilers in the Basketball Africa League (BAL), had a free throw percentage of 72.4% in 2024.

[Mr Puddles]

I, for one, am looking forward to watching Ann Meyers Drysdale butcher his name.

"Cowman Maluwap sure looks a lot better than last season, when he played using the name Bol Bol"

[Saberestar]

https://youtube.com/shorts/ee5iMxWBeQo?si=Rq5_Ax9jjXUiAM24

[Saberestar]

Absolutely. He is best rated 'cause Givony said it. But when you ask people to actually say, explain, pinpoint where his enormous talent and potential actually manifests, you get nothing palpable. I watched enough of his games not to be excited at all. Every single player you mentioned is a better basketball player than Khaman at this point. Repeating myself, maybe he is a madly dedicated worker and improves significantly in every aspect of the game in a few years, but it just doesn't look particularly realistic to me. I immediately think of Thon Maker...

Huge differerences between Maluach and Thon Maker.

Maker didn't have any experience before being drafted in 2016. He played at High School and that's it. He was an absolute mystery box in the draft.

Maluach played professional basketball for a couple years in the BAL League in Africa at just 16 and 17 years old. That league has international players there, like Lual Acuil or Omar Oraby who were two of the starting Cs that he faced in that professional league. He was improving and playing more minutes and he put good numbers on his last games. Impressive.

Then, he played as a starter at Duke and he showed a big improvement during the season. He showed that he can effectively play a role as a defensive C and rim runner in the NBA. That's another experience and proofing that Maker didn't have at all.

And Maker is only one inch shorter than Maluach BUT he was 37 lbs thinner than him at the draft. Both at the same age. That's huge to play C in the league and talks about two different types of frames.

[Saberestar]

[Saberestar]

Duane Rankin:

Suns coach Jordan Ott on Khaman Maluach's adding size to his 7-foot-1 frame:

"That was the plan Day 1. Anytime you get an 19-year-old young guy to come in the league, the biggest piece is usually the strength. It's not the skill and it's obviously not his size. He has both of those. It's just the strength piece just for him to function in the NBA and also for his health to try to prevent those big collisions he's going to have. He's attacked it Day 1."

[Saberestar]

Watch on YouTube