PHOENIX – The Phoenix Suns top-10 draft pick gets discouraging criticism after flat Summer League performance. Bleacher Report’s Jonathan Wasserman named the five winners and losers from Summer League, with Phoenix’s Khaman Malauch being the first player mentioned in the loser section. In his three games in Las Vegas, the 18-year-old recorded 10.0 points, 5.7 rebounds, 1.3 blocks on 36% from the field.
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Jun 25, 2025; Brooklyn, NY, USA; Khaman Maluach stands with NBA commissioner Adam Silver after being selected as the tenth pick by the Houston Rockets in the first round of the 2025 NBA Draft at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images
Wasserman on Suns Maluach shortcomings:
“The No. 10 pick struggled offensively and averaged 4.0 fouls in just 23.3 minutes.
“It was fun and encouraging to see Maluach get off 13 three-point attempts after only taking 16 all season at Duke. He’s clearly not ready to be a regular threat from outside, though. And while the size, length and movement remain functional for finishing lobs and protecting the rim, summer league showed his rawness and lack of physicality around the post.”
Apr 5, 2025; San Antonio, TX, USA; Duke Blue Devils center Khaman Maluach (9) dunks against the Houston Cougars= in the semifinals of the men’s Final Four of the 2025 NCAA Tournament at the Alamodome. Mandatory Credit: Robert Deutsch-Imagn Images
Suns Summer League head coach DeMarre Carroll wanted Maluach to shoot plenty of 3-pointers to get him comfortable from shooting from deep. Maluach shot 4.3 attempts per game from the perimeter, but only shot 23% with the increased amount of attempts. The South Sudan native proved his offensive game is still a massive work in progress, with also struggling to use his 7’2 frame to score in the post or paint.
One of Maluach’s biggest strength was his rim protection, seen as the best defensive center in this draft class. However, the former Blue Devil seemed a step behind when contesting opposing drive attempts, with his lateral movement not at the place to face other NBA big men.
May 14, 2025; Chicago, Il, USA; Khaman Maluach talks to the media during the 2025 NBA Draft Combine at Marriott Marquis Chicago. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-Imagn Images
The newest Suns center still has plenty of time to work on that aspect of his game before the start of next season in October. His offensive game is still far away from being where the coaching staff want from Maluach, but his sheer size will help him out overcome some of his shortcomings defensively that he illustrated in Summer League.
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Reporter Tanner Tortorella covers general assignment for Burn City Sports. You can follow him on his X account, @TannerTSports
