Maluach is currently competing for the starting center job with third-year big man Oso Ighodaro.
Watch: Empire of the Suns: Oso Ighodaro & Khaman Maluach center picture clears up, more Suns preseason takeaways | 28 mins
Phoenix Suns second-year center Khaman Maluach has turned heads this preseason.
In ESPN’s Ben Golliver’s preseason takeaways for every NBA team, he highlighted Maluach’s progress as he looks to be in line for significant minutes this season.
Maluach is more than just a dunker and a shot blocker: Against San Antonio, he fed a cutter from the high post, stepped out to hit a 3-pointer and came up with a steal while trapping outside the arc. The Suns should be able to give their 2025 lottery pick plenty of developmental minutes as they wait for starting center Mark Williams to return from September shoulder surgery.
In the Suns’ preseason win against the San Antonio Spurs on Saturday, Maluach met the moment in a duel with Victor Wembanyama.
He finished the game with 10 points, 15 rebounds and three assists while holding Wembanyama to just 13 points on 6-for-14 shooting.
Maluach is currently competing for the starting center job with third-year big man Oso Ighodaro.
Golliver projects the Suns to be a “ho-hum vibe” type of team and for them to “not generate much excitement beyond Arizona’s borders.”
The Suns finished as the eighth seed last season, and Golliver says that a successful season for them would be advancing past the play-in like they did last year.
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