Season in Review: Khaman Maluach is the Rudy Gobert evolution Phoenix you have always wanted

Welcome to our Phoenix Suns Season in Review collection, the place we revisit each participant who suited up throughout the 2025–26 marketing campaign via the lens of expectation, actuality, and what it finally meant.

*SunsRank is based mostly on Bright Side writers’ rating.

The course of is underway, and it is doing its job due to a transparent evolution in its recreation.

Before the season began, Khaman Maluach was considered as considered one of the highest-upside prospects in the 2025 draft. Mainly due to an especially uncommon profile: lateral mobility for his dimension, rim deterrence, enormous potential in drop protection, and offensive flashes that hinted at a potential stretch‑5 end result in the medium time period.

But not like different extra “NBA-ready” rookies, no person actually anticipated him to be instantly productive. Phoenix knew they have been getting a uncooked prospect — a participant who nonetheless needed to study a ton about NBA tempo, defensive reads, and the bodily influence required at the highest degree. The concept behind drafting him was principally long-term: develop a contemporary heart able to defending the rim in Jordan Ott’s system whereas ultimately bringing actual verticality on offense.

Reality ended up matching these preliminary expectations fairly carefully. Maluach nearly by no means had a secure function in Phoenix’s rotation this season, ending with solely 46 video games performed and beneath 9 minutes per recreation. And but… we noticed the flashes, particularly on protection, the place as the season went on, Khaman slowly climbed towards the prime of sure metrics.

Because even in an ultra-limited function, he confirmed precisely why Phoenix believes in him a lot. His bodily presence instantly adjustments the geometry of the flooring: rim contests, verticality, rebounding, huge defensive protection regardless of his age, an actual pick-and-roll menace, and a taking pictures contact that means he might stretch the flooring.

The downside is that the whole lot else was nonetheless beneath development. His defensive positioning was inconsistent, his offensive recreation was closely depending on others, and his lack of expertise was apparent at occasions in opposition to NBA facilities who have been bodily and tactically smarter. But actually, that was anticipated.

I believe Phoenix will proceed with precisely the identical improvement plan: numerous G League reps, numerous movie work, and step by step larger NBA sequences over time. And actually, that is in all probability the smartest thing for him. Because at solely 19 years previous, Maluach is nonetheless considered one of the youngest gamers in the league and absolutely considered one of the least skilled in this whole draft class.

Defensively, he must develop into extra disciplined in his assist rotations, higher perceive NBA timing, and study to defend with out counting on his dimension as a miracle answer. Offensively, he must develop his quick roll recreation, enhance his arms in site visitors, and preserve engaged on that outdoors shot that intrigues the group a lot.

I genuinely suppose that in 2–3 years, he can develop into a contemporary Rudy Gobert with a extra different and deadly offensive bag, or a extra explosive however much less stretch-oriented model of Jay Huff.

I’d like to speak about his efficiency in opposition to Dallas in April — not the most spectacular offensively, positive. But he delivered an unbelievable defensive recreation, each in vitality and reads — whereas being a significant component in the staff’s success (14 rebounds and three blocks) — and it was additionally the first and solely time he performed greater than half-hour.

I’d give him a B for his season, first due to his enormous G League performances with fully insane numbers: round 18 factors, 13 rebounds, and three blocks per recreation. On the NBA aspect, it is much less flashy, positive, however his on-court influence via rim deterrence was noticeable. A powerful efficiency in opposition to OKC late in the season capped off his first yr in the large league.