Phoenix Suns rookie Khaman Maluach is still a very raw prospect, and his development will largely be based on his ability to overcome a general lack of natural skills. Sam Vecenie recently spoke about it on the Game Theory podcast:
“Khaman Maluach this year is like a really good example,” Vecenie said. “Khaman Maluach does some things on the court that kind of drive you crazy. And you can just see from the way that he rebounds the basketball, his natural feel isn’t quite there yet. But Khaman Maqluach is a kid that is an awesome human being, and anybody that you talk to says, very intelligent, understands where—very self-aware, understands his shortcomings, and will work at it. But is he going to be able to make up that gap in terms of that deficiency? I don’t know. It’s on him to figure that out.”
That said, Maluach was still a perfect swing for the Suns to take.
Why is Khaman Maluach great for the Suns?
The Suns are in a very tough position. They just traded Kevin Durant and let Bradley Beal go, waiving him and paving the way for him to sign with the LA Clippers. Now, they are left with Devin Booker, their franchise centerpiece, whom they extended, and a hodgepodge of other pieces.
But this year’s draft gave them an opportunity to do something smart. And they jumped at the chance.
Though they didn’t have a top-five pick, they still managed to snag Maluach at pick No. 10, a selection they received in the Durant trade, and they added Rasheer Fleming and Koby Brea as well. On top of that, they traded for Mark Williams, bringing even more youth to the team.
By taking swings at young players, the Suns are setting themselves up to build around Booker for the future, rather than trying desperately (and likely failing) to compete in a loaded Western Conference right now.
Maluach is the true prize of the bunch. As noted by Vecenie, he’s a raw prospect. There are plenty of kinks he has to work on, and if he ever wants to make it at the NBA level, he’ll need to develop some of the abilities that don’t come naturally to him.
But he’s a good person. He works hard. He’s a great guy to have around. And those are solid building blocks.
Plus, the Suns' trading for Williams will allow Maluach to have some help at the center position. He won’t have to be thrown into the fire constantly. They also have Nick Richards and Oso Ighodaro as solid depth pieces, both of whom should aid Maluach’s developmental process.
Maluach is far from perfect, but he’s great for what the Suns are trying to do.