Phoenix Suns Center Khaman Maluach Reveals His Welcome to NBA Moment

Second-year big man Khaman Maluach is entering year two of his tenure with the Phoenix Suns with designs of taking a major leap forward as a player.

The Duke product put together an impressive four-game run in July's Las Vegas Summer League, but still must translate this growth into regular-season NBA action. 

The 7-footer has shown a lot of growth over the last several months and revealed one of the moments that defined his journey as a rookie. 

Maluach joined teammate Dillon Brooks for promotion on the yearly "NBA 2k" game to describe his "welcome to the league" moment, which is a rather common one for players working their way to stardom.

Denver Nuggets wing Peyton Watson dunked on Maluach at roughly the 11-minute mark of the second quarter in a game between the two on October 25 of last season. The 2025 lottery pick described how he held the assumption that he would body Watson directly before the opposite took place.

This was the perfect moment to teach Maluach the lesson that things transpire much quicker at the NBA level compared to the collegiate game - and this came within the first week of his regular season career.

The talented big man went on to acknowledge that this moment taught him how to take low-points in stride, which is also crucial to his ultimate development. 

The hope is that Maluach will develop a competent offensive game alongside superstar guard Devin Booker - particularly as a screen-setter, stationary shooter, and play finisher. However, his defensive prowess continuing to progress is what's most important in what is hoping to be a star-level leap in the coming years. 

Going back to the "welcome to the league" moment - one of Malauch's obvious weaknesses as a rookie rested in his relative lack of awareness and falling behind in the minutia of the game. This isn't uncommon for rookies, but it unfortunately proved to be more glaring in comparison to peers. As aforementioned, Maluach is displaying marked growth in awareness and fully embracing the minutia of the game that most young players let slip them by. 

While Maluach is unlikely to start to begin the season, it wouldn't be a shock to see him installed at some point over the course of 82 games.

Watson is now with the Cleveland Cavaliers following a recent sign-and-trade. Maluach will have two chances to exact revenge this season on February 3 and 14, 2027.