Development was the plan. So why is Maluach watching from the bench?

After yet another double-digit loss on Wednesday night, this time to the Portland Trail Blazers (again), the Phoenix Suns find themselves at 1-5. They are a team desperately searching for an identity. Players are trying to establish defined roles, while the coaching staff continues experimenting with combinations in hopes of finding something that can ultimately translate into success.

When you take a step back and look at the bigger picture as it pertains to the Suns’ future, things begin to look rather grim. Between the significant amount of dead cap money on the books and the fact that Phoenix has surrendered control of its draft assets for the next several seasons, there was one thing we understood entering this year that could help keep the franchise competitive: development.

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After all, continuity and development were the two pillars this organization leaned on throughout the summer. The belief was that returning so many familiar faces would provide a foundation for improvement, while the younger players would take meaningful steps forward in their progression. That was the formula. That was the plan. Yet through six games, the continuity has been noticeably absent, and the opportunities for development have been puzzling.

Yes, the organization was forced to adjust its developmental timeline when Mark Williams suffered a shoulder injury in September that required surgery on his left shoulder. Suddenly, the buffer that would have allowed Khaman Maluach to develop behind Williams and Oso Ighodaro in the rotation was gone. The second-year big man out of Duke was now positioned to receive considerably more playing time than the organization likely anticipated entering the season.

While that certainly wasn’t the original plan, there was a potential silver lining. Reluctance to play Maluach could no longer serve as an excuse for limiting his opportunities. The Suns were going to need him out of sheer necessity, and that necessity could provide the very developmental experience this organization had spent the summer emphasizing.

Those opportunities have certainly presented themselves early on this…

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Publish date : 2026-11-05 19:00:00

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