Preseason results deserve a healthy dose of skepticism, but with Mark Williams sidelined for multiple months, the Phoenix Suns have a position battle worth paying attention to. Through two games, Oso Ighodaro and Khaman Maluach have provided an early glimpse into what each brings to the starting center position, and perhaps more importantly, what each still needs to improve.
At first glance, when you consider that the center will likely be the fifth offensive option on this team, you begin looking at what the other four starters are lacking. Jalen Green, Devin Booker, Dillon Brooks, and Miles Bridges bring plenty to the table, but there are deficiencies within that group that will need to be addressed. You could point to the lack of effective facilitation and distribution. You could point to shooting. You could point to size and rebounding. All of those observations would be valid, and all are areas of concern as the regular season approaches. And that is a lot of pointing.
The Suns will have to manufacture effective ball distribution because they don’t have a true facilitator in that starting group. Fingers are crossed that Jalen Green will grow in this role, but the more likely outcome is that a distribution-by-committee approach will be their modus operandi, with multiple players creating opportunities rather than relying on a single traditional playmaker to orchestrate the offense. Such is modern NBA life
Shooting is another challenge. None of those four players can be defined as an “above-average three-point shooter”, and some are coming off the worst shooting seasons of their careers (Booker at 33.3%, his second-worst year, and Jalen Green at 31.3%, his worst). Collectively, they’re career 34.7% shooters from beyond the arc, which creates questions about how effectively Phoenix can space the floor.
Then there’s size and rebounding. None of those four players is particularly imposing physically or known for being a dominant presence on the glass. Of the quarter, Miles Bridges had the best rebounding percentage at 9.2%, but that ranks 140th out of the 367 players who played at least 40 games a season ago. That puts additional pressure on whoever occupies the center position to provide some of what the rest of the starting lineup lacks.
That’s what makes this position battle so interesting. When you look at the two candidates competing for the starting role, Oso Ighodaro and Khaman Maluach, you’re looking at two players with very different skill sets. Each offers a potential solution to certain deficiencies within the starting lineup, and determining which of those needs takes priority could ultimately dictate who earns the job.
You have Oso Ighodaro, who is a plus facilitator and rather unique in his ability to distribute the ball from the five position. He elevates those around him with his ability to see the floor, make quick decisions, deliver quality passes, and set effective screens that create space for his teammates. But he’s average when it comes to size and rebounding. And shooting? Like a certain Margaret Mitchell novel, it’s _Gone with the Wind_.
Then you have Malauch, who has yet to develop passing and distribution into a reliable part of his skill set. That’s not to say he’s horrible at it, but it certainly isn’t one of his primary strengths. Can he shoot? Yes. He has the potential to stretch the floor, and if given enough opportunities, he might begin shooting with enough regularity that opposing defenses have to respect it, opening up space for his teammates. But size and rebounding? That’s supposed to be his bread and butter.
So you look at these two candidates, knowing that head coach Jordan Ott has opted to start Oso through the first two preseason games. And personally? I don’t blame him. He’s going with what he knows. He’s going with experience. He’s going with a player whose facilitation can help unlock the other four starters’ offensive potential. That leaves Malauch with the secondary minutes, along with a few opportunities sprinkled in alongside the starters.
Through the first two games, I wouldn’t go so far as to say Oso has lapped Malauch, but he’s certainly rounding the second corner of the track with a comfortable lead. I think much of that comes down to his understanding of where he needs to be on the floor and his cerebral approach to the game. It also has to do with the fact that Malauch hasn’t looked particularly comfortable.
Again, it’s preseason, and that’s what these repetitions are for. Repetition becomes retention, right? Khaman needs opportunities to get on the floor, feel his way through different situations, and begin translating all the work he’s put in this offseason into tangible results. Because my first observation of Malauch through these two games is that the effort is there. As every good football coach has told his team at some point, there are only two things you can control: your attitude and your effort. Both are aligned for Malauch.
The problem is that the results of that effort haven’t consistently materialized. Some of that comes down to poor positioning. Some of it is being too reactive. And some of it feels like he’s perpetually facing the wrong direction. When operating in high-dribble handoffs, he isn’t looking downhill to recognize whether an opportunity might be available. He’s so focused on being a cog in the wheel of the offensive action that he isn’t identifying what the defense is giving him. He hands the ball off, rolls into a defender, and the entire sequence becomes predictable. When a shot goes up, he’s looking for somebody to box out rather than tracking the ball. By the time it hits the rim, he’s already slightly out of position.
These are things that come with repetition and instinct. It’s about learning to track the basketball while maintaining awareness of your opponent’s position, feeling for him with your hand, and positioning yourself to secure the rebound. It was disappointing to watch him get pushed around by Bulls rookie Tobe Akawa and lose that individual matchup. That’s the kind of performance that makes it difficult to envision Malauch winning the starting role at this point.
But as I always say, development isn’t linear. What matters now is what he does moving forward. Can he recognize these mistakes on film, understand why they occurred, and put those lessons into action the next time he takes the floor? That’s what will determine the next step in his development.
Through two preseason games, he’s attempted only one three-pointer, so the shooting hasn’t become a threat in any meaningful capacity. And the size and rebounding that should be his greatest advantages haven’t been particularly impressive either. For a player who had a 15.1 rebounding percentage last season and 22.4% in Summer League, his rebounding percentage is at 10.0% in his team-high 42.1 minutes played thus far this preseason.
He’s totaled 14 points and six rebounds on 5-of-8 shooting while going 4-of-8 from the free-throw line. The effort is there. The attitude is there. Now we need to see the execution catch up. I assume we will see him get some run with the starters at some point this preseason, so the team can not only see what it looks like, but also allow him the developmental opportunity.
As for Oso, he’s getting his run with the starters and fitting comfortably into the role, much like he did last season. Through two preseason games, he’s shooting 71.4% from the field and an abysmal 25% from the free-throw line, going 1-of-4. He’s added seven rebounds, three of which have come on the offensive glass, four assists, and a pair of steals. Overall, he’s a +12. His assist percentage sits at 14.8%, identical to Devin Booker’s, while his rebound percentage is 12.1%.
His rim-running ability has opened up different aspects of the offense, and his versatility on that end of the floor continues to illustrate why Jordan Ott prefers him in the starting lineup. He understands how to operate within the offense, where to position himself, and how to create opportunities for those around him. He possesses more experience, and through the first two preseason games, that experience has been apparent.
That’s where we stand at this moment in the battle for the starting center position. It’s a fluid situation that can constantly change, and once the regular season begins, it could ultimately become matchup-dependent.
If you focus on doing the little things right, the big things tend to take care of themselves. Oso is doing those little things right. And while it might not be particularly impressive to some, especially those who want him to become more of a shooter than he’ll likely ever be, we have to remember that not every center in the NBA possesses the ability to stretch the floor. And that’s okay. What needs to become a greater point of emphasis, however, is rebounding.
I understand that it’s difficult when you’re constantly being pulled away from the basket defensively, switching onto perimeter players, and being asked to defend in space. That’s another area where Oso excels. But you can’t be underneath the basket securing rebounds when you’re out on the perimeter defending a switch.
That’s why team rebounding is going to be so important for the Phoenix Suns this season. They lack the overall size and rebounding presence that larger teams possess simply by having bigger bodies on the floor. It will require a collective effort, with everybody understanding their responsibilities and doing the little things necessary to finish defensive possessions. And right now, those little things are precisely what’s giving Oso the advantage in this position battle.
Ultimately, this battle is about finding the right balance for a starting lineup with some very specific needs. Oso currently provides the reliability, connectivity, and defensive versatility that make everyone else’s job easier. Maluach offers a different dimension, but his physical advantages need to translate into consistent execution. Both have value, and both will have opportunities. For now, Ott appears to be prioritizing understanding over upside. And given what we’ve seen through two games, that’s a decision I can get behind.
See More:
* [Suns Analysis](/suns-analysis)
* [Suns Preseason](/suns-preseason)