What stood out about Suns' top draft pick Khaman Maluach in Summer League
- Maluach's shooting needs improvement, but his shot-blocking ability is a valuable asset for the Suns.
- While Maluach averaged a decent number of rebounds, he needs to further develop his rebounding skills at the NBA level.
All eyes were on the Phoenix Suns' Khaman Maluach and the 2025 NBA Draft's other Top 10 picks at the 2K26 Las Vegas Summer League from July 10-20.
The 7-foot-2 Maluach was the No. 10 overall pick in this year's draft by the Suns, which they acquired from Houston in the Kevin Durant trade.
"I was excited to be out there, especially with this group of guys," the 18-year-old out of Duke said after the Suns' win over the Wizards on July 11. "I had to figure everything out. It's a new game. It's a new playing style. It's a professional game. More spacing."
Here's a breakdown of several things Maluach did well, and things he needs to work on leading up to his rookie season:
Suns need Maluach's rim protection more than shooting
Summer League averages: 10 points, 35.7% shooting from the field, 23.1% on 4.3 3-point attempts a game, 1.3 blocks, 2.3 turnovers, 23.3 minutes per game (rebounds listed below).
Analysis: In his three Summer League games played, Maluach showed his raw talent using his 7-6 wingspan for both rim protection and rim pressure on both ends of the floor, plus budding confidence in his deep shooting from 3. The final attribute is a stretch from mostly working in the paint as a lob threat, pick-and-roller, with some mid-range shooting, as he helped lead Duke to the Final Four as a one-and-done.
Maluach's best scoring performance was his 14-point debut in Phoenix's win over Washington on July 11, but he shot just 5-of-18. Maybe that was from nervousness, like many top draft picks have in their first Summer League game. But he put up two blocks against Washington and had two more in the Suns' loss to Minnesota on July 16, which was Maluach's most balanced performance (8 points, 7 rebounds, two blocks in 25 minutes) and altered shots. That will help the Suns, after they were in the bottom tier for opponent shots at the rim last season.
Maluach's rebounding has to improve
College stats: 6.6 rebounds a game
Summer league stats: 5.7 rebounds
Analysis: Maluach was the Suns' second-best rebounder behind second-year big Oso Ighodaro (8.7) in the Summer League. At Duke, Maluach was also that team's second-best rebounder behind the Dallas Mavericks' No. 1 overall pick, Cooper Flagg (7.5). Rebounding is all about positioning, timing and hand strength around the hoop. You can have great size and leaping ability, but that can be canceled out if a player lacks those other traits.
In Maluach's debut and their loss against Sacramento on July 14, he had just five rebounds in each game. He has the potential to improve on the glass, but like Maluach said, it's a new game in the NBA compared to college, where the players are much bigger, faster and stronger than at the college level. The Suns added more length on the perimeter and frontcourt this offseason to improve their rebounding (25th last season, 28th in offensive boards per game), and they'll need Maluach to improve his hands for that while backing up fellow 7-footers Nick Richards and Mark Williams.