Khaman Maluach At Forefront Of Phoenix Suns Future

Maluach, the No. 10 pick in the NBA Draft, is expected to be the future starting center in Phoenix. He will compete with Charlotte Hornets big Mark Williams, who the Suns acquired on the same night they drafted Maluach for two first-round picks, and Nick Richards, the lone returning center from the 2024-25 roster, for minutes. 

Jalen Green and Devin Booker present a heavy pick-and-roll challenge as three-level scorers who can also facilitate. Maluach will have an opportunity to be a fan favorite by catching lobs and finishing at the basket. 

The Suns need points at the rim especially since they were so heavily reliant on Booker, Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal each of the last three seasons (Durant was traded to the Suns in Feb. 23 and Beal was acquired in exchange for Chris Paul, Landry Shamet and five second-round picks in June 2023). Booker and Maluach need to be in tandem to open up scoring for Booker, who shot just 33.2% from 3.

Maluach shot 77.6% at the rim overall, which jumped to 84% in the halfcourt. Maluach was the eighth freshman to have 80 or more dunks in a season.

More stats on Maluach can be found here via NBA.com.

The Suns finished 29th in the NBA at 42.2 points per game inside the restricted area.

Maluach a force to be reckoned with

Maluach was spotted as a young star at 13 years old, later becoming recognized at Luol Deng's basketball camp. Maluach, the No. 1 prospect according to 247Sports at center in 2024, attended NBA Academy Africa before his one year at Duke.

Maluach played three years in the Basketball Africa League, and averaged a league-leading 13.5 rebounds in 2024.

Maluach’s lone college season 

The Sudanese star averaged 8.6 points per game for the Duke Blue Devils this past season. Maluach posed a threat around the basket next to fellow rookies Kon Kneuppel, Cooper Flagg, and others. Maluach and Patrick Ngonba II, the No. 5 center prospect according to 247Sports in the 2024 class, clashed for playing time. Maluach became the lone big on the Blue Devils’ rotation and stunned other teams with his skillset.

“Very excited about this evening with Khaman. We had a great talk with him afterwards. One of the things that was really important to us was the organizational piece that we had heading into it,” Suns GM Brian Gregory said.

“We had a lot of different options, a lot of different things going on. To come away with a young talent like him comes from a great program.

“Last year we were, I think, twenty-seventh in rim protection so he brings a a great defensive presence for us. We were also, I think, last in the league in our effectiveness around the rim and our ability to score at the rim and he’s definitely proven himself in one year of college of being able to do that.”

Maluach was voted to the ACC All-Rookie team and was an all-conference honorable mention.