Suns Rookie Has Work to Do This Offseason

The Phoenix Suns selected Khaman Maluach as the No. 10 overall pick, but right when they were making the selection, they also acquired Mark Williams in a trade with the Charlotte Hornets.

With two centers recently added to the roster, the Suns are giving their rookie a chance to not be thrown to the wolves right away.

Bleacher Report draft analyst Jonathan Wasserman believes Maluach will start the season off the bench.

"Khaman Maluach's summer league debut explained why the Phoenix Suns traded for Mark Williams," Wasserman wrote.

"The Duke product struggled with shotmaking, fouls and turnovers. Still, he should be able to give Phoenix an effective lob target and rim protection. In the short team, he'll rely on his physical tools for converting pick-and-rolls, putting back misses and contesting shots.

"But adding Williams suggests Phoenix plans to take it slower and think long-term with Maluach."

Maluach is a long-term project for the Suns even though he was taken in the top 10 of the draft. While he was one of the best big men in college basketball last season, he is only 18 years old and has a lot of growing to do if he wants to be a successful NBA player.

The Suns believe Maluach has the tools to be one of the top centers in the league, but it will take development over the course of a few years in order for him to get to that point.

Maluach struggled a bit during the Las Vegas Summer League, but that wasn't much of a surprise for a player as young and raw as him.

The Suns now have a baseline with Maluach after his showcase in Vegas and that will give the coaching staff the opportunity to work with him on how to get better in time for the start of the season.