There is no reason to pull the panic alarm about a rookie after one month in the NBA. So, I am not going to do that about Suns center Khaman Maluach, who has barely cracked the rotation as Mark Williams and Nick Richards eat up the minutes at the five spot.
However, it's also hard not to look at the draft order from June and notice that Cedric Coward, who was picked directly after Maluach, is blossoming into a star already with the Memphis Grizzlies, and recently, Derik Queen of the Pelicans (pick No. 13) has come on extremely strong, too.
Again, there's no reason to panic — no one expects Nick Richards to be a long-term answer at center, and centers often take longer than other positions to acclimate to the NBA. Still, Coward and Maluach will always be grouped together because they were taken back-to-back in the draft, and it's fair to feel a little nervous when the next guy (who may have filled a need better on the Suns anyway) starts to auspiciously.
If Maluach comes in and shows the rim-protecting, play-finishing ability that made him a lottery pick in the first place, Suns fans will forget all about the pick after him. Right now, though, he's not getting a chance to do that.
Khaman Maluach has yet to crack the Suns regular rotation
It's impossible to make any comments on Maluach's play so far because he's seen a total of 35 minutes. That's basically one game's worth of playing time, so it's best we reserve any judgement for now.
But until we actually do see him play, Suns fans will continue to sweat as two players who were both in plenty of Suns mock drafts continue to impress.
The question of when we will see him play comes down to how much the coaching staff likes Nick Richards, essentially. He's done a solid job as a backup center, and it's hard to ask for major lineup changes with how well the Suns are playing as a unit right now. If it ain't broke, or so they say.
Khaman Maluach is going to get his opportunity. I know it's easy to panic right now as he rides the bench and Coward and Queen both impress in their early outings, but patience was always going to be a virtue with the 19 year-old. Concern over the success of guys the Suns didn't draft is warranted; jumping to conclusions about Maluach, though, is silly so early on.