Player Preview: It’s Khaman Maluach’s time to shine

Every day, we’ll take a closer look at another member of the 2026-27 Phoenix Suns, examining what they bring to the roster and what their role could mean for the season ahead as we count down to training camp and the preseason.

Center, 7’1″, 250 lbs., 20 years old, 2nd season

Advertisement

Khaman Maluach enters his second season in Phoenix after a year of “slow-burn” development under his belt. That was always the plan, especially since they traded for Mark Williams on the same night they drafted him 10th overall.

The 10th pick was a key return from Houston in the Kevin Durant trade, of course. “Man Man” is a core piece for this franchise, and will be a popular “breakout” pick among pundits, especially after his terrific Summer League showcase.

Now, with Mark Williams suffering a torn labrum in his left shoulder, Maluach’s development becomes paramount. He and Oso Ighodaro will assume the majority of the minutes at center, and they just added Duop Reath for insurance purposes.

Just how confident will Ott be in Khaman from the jump? I am hoping they view Reath more as a depth piece than a necessary and immediate contributor, although I do like the signing.

Advertisement

What does it all mean for the second-year product out of Duke? Let’s talk about it.

Last Season

Phoenix took their sweet time with Khaman last season. They did not rush him into the rotation as you might see from your typical 10th overall pick. They entered this whole thing playing the long game, understanding he will be a project that takes time to develop. Jordan Ott consistently stuck with veterans or players he could trust throughout the year, which limited the minutes we all wanted to see from Rasheer Fleming or Khaman Maluach.

Khaman only saw 15+ minutes in nine games last season, and cracked the 20-plus minute mark just four times.

Advertisement

“Man Man” had a pair of promising games late in the season, including an 18-point, 14-rebound season finale against the Thunder in game 82, and a 12-point, 9-rebound effort in game 74 of the season against the Utah Jazz in just 19 minutes.

But now, with the injury to Mark Williams, the timeline speeds up quite…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/player-preview-khaman-maluach-time-190000680.html

Author :

Publish date : 2026-09-19 19:00:00

Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.