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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.
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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.
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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…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/case-khaman-maluach-suns-starting-190000104.html
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Publish date : 2026-10-02 19:00:00
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