Few players will have as much pressure on them heading into next season than rookie Khaman Maluach, although none of that is of his own making. The South Sudanese big man the final piece of the puzzle that sent Kevin Durant to the Houston Rockets, and he will be joined by Jalen Green and Dillon Brooks in The Valley.
Despite the Suns swinging a surprising trade for Charlotte Hornets' big man Mark Williams around the draft as well - the quicker Maluach can contribute in Phoenix - the better this re-tooling around Devin Booker is going to go. He's a raw prospect and still just 18-years-old - but if he can try and take some minutes off Williams as the season progresses - that will be a big win for the Suns.
Maluach's comments on defending music to the ears of Suns fans.
Ahead of his likely debut at Summer League, Maluach was recently asked during media availability about by a Valley of the Suns alumni Gerald Bourguet what he can bring to the table defensively from the word go in Phoenix, and his answer is exactly what you would want to hear. Check it out below for yourself.
"I feel like that's what I bring to the table defensively...that's what I bring on the table to impact a team and impact the NBA game right away."
— Gerald Bourguet (@GeraldBourguet) July 8, 2025
I asked Khaman Maluach how he improved in different defensive coverages last year at Duke and his switchable defense: pic.twitter.com/Hhil1G4SIK
It is the phrase "impact the NBA right away" that is said with such confidence - not arrogance - that should excite the most. Last season the Suns gave up a horrible 117.7 points each night - the fourth worst mark in the entire league - and that lack of caring was one of the many reasons they did not make the playoffs.
On any given night it was too easy to score on the team, with everybody from Tyus Jones and Jusuf Nurkic (before being traded) an easy point of attack. For an 18-year-old to not mention scoring or what they can do offensively once is impressive, and shows a level of maturity that will surely allow Maluach to excel in his new home.
The Suns badly need players who can adapt defensively and who want to put in a shift each night to help them win games. Maluach has been compared to a longer version of Clint Capela - and if that is the way his career in the league shakes out - the Suns have a starting calibre center on their hands for years to come.
But there is the potential with these comments for there to be so much more in store - and depending on how Maluach begins life in the league - the Suns could forget about Durant real quick. They're also building a nice defensive identity with guys like Brooks, Ryan Dunn and Oso Ighodaro who willingly take up the challenge of guarding elite scorers each night.
This is a welcome departure from the turnstile defense we saw last season, and Maluach could quickly grow to be at the heart of that. Fans should be excited to see what he can produce at Summer League - and if he shows an awareness beyond his years on the court - it could be only a matter of time before he's starting in Phoenix and dragging them towards being a league-average defense.