The Phoenix Suns finished off their slate of preseason games Wednesday, beating the Los Angeles Lakers for the second time. Coming hot on the heels of a marathon 17 hour journey home from China, head coach Jordan Ott elected to rest all of his starters, allowing some players who have already staked a claim for a bigger role during preseason to once again impress.
One Suns player who grabbed the opportunity to start for the first time in their young career was 19-year-old center Khaman Maluach. In 31 minutes of action he contributed 17 points and eight boards, but it was the manner in which he had an impact on both ends of the court that should have The Valley excited about what the season has in store for him.
Maluach already a better offensive player than advertized.
The defensive end of the floor is where he is going to make a living - and although it will also take time to become a steady contributor - already Maluach isn't showing the lapses in concentration that can dog players when they come into the league. Lakers' star Austin Reaves scoring over him at one point in the first half for example, but it wasn't because Maluach did anything wrong.
He looked more physically imposing than former Suns' first overall pick Deandre Ayton, once again outplaying his counterpart through sheer willpower alone. Phoenix will be hoping Mark Williams is back on the court soon - and the latest update was a positive one - but Maluach already looks ahead of schedule.
Khaman Maluach has potential… pic.twitter.com/k6fCQsRb1U
— NBA University (@NBA_University) October 15, 2025
Two moments from the win over the Lakers highlighted this fact, and they both came in the first half. In the opening minutes Maluach caught the ball around the 3-point line at the top of the floor, before dribbling it through his legs once to try and shake off the defender. He had some success, passed the ball off and set a screen, before then rolling to the basket. The Suns scored off this play.
In the second quarter, Maluach again was involved in the play early around the 3-point line, before making his way inside the paint. From there he caught a sweet lob from point guard Jared Butler, and flushed it down for a huge jam. The best part about this particular play was the fact the end product was the least surprising aspect of how it all went down.
Maluach showed time and time again that he is more than happy to be involved in a play outside the paint, and his go to move right now is catching the ball before handing it off and setting a screen. He's not a 3-point threat - so when he inevitably rumbles to the basket having set what is usually a successful screen - he sends opponents in all directions like bowling pins.
We know that it is going to take Maluach time to become comfortable offensively, but already he has shown in preseason that he has little moves and a comfort level outside of the paint that can help him excel. He then coupled that with some hustle plays in which he fought for put back baskets, which made him one of the top performers on the night.
It would still be ideal if Williams could play 60 games this season, so as to not rush Maluach into having too big a role in The Valley in his rookie season. One look on social media and you can see how excited fans are as well, and we need to remember that on some nights he's not going to have it. As far as lottery picks go however, the big man is off to a brilliant start to life in the NBA.