Suns' Khaman Maluach Already Proving To Be Potential DPOY Candidate

An incredible amount of hope in regards to the future of the Phoenix Suns rests in the development of center Khaman Maluach.

The Duke product is the first top-10 draft selection by Phoenix since Jalen Smith in 2020, and has potential to far exceed his draft slot. 

The 20-year-old went through an uneven rookie season despite the optimism. There were multiple aspects of his game - particularly when it comes to playing to the speed of the pro game.

The 7-footer worked on smoothing out those issues over the offseason, including during a productive Summer League. 

This purported growth was tested on Saturday night, when the second-year phenom got the start against Victor Wembanyama of the San Antonio Spurs.

This is clearly no simple task, as the 22-year-old Wembanyama is already in the best player in the world conversation. 

However, Maluach handled this matchup as well as he possibly could have. One of the plays that is pointing to the former five-star recruit being ready to take the next leap came early in the first quarter.

The center took Wembanyama up head-on, stopped him at the rim, grabbed the rebound, and began a fast break that ended with a Jalen Green basket.

This sequence displays multiple things. Perhaps the most crucial is that Maluach's comfortability in the NBA game reconciling with an undying motor. This creates a player that is prepared to make a game-changing play on either side of the ball on any given possession. 

Beyond this, there are signs of Maluach's game evolving. One of the clearest displays came on a give-and-go from Luke Kennard to Maluach that resulted in a timely pass and a layup for the former. The lottery pick evolving as a passer is massive to Phoenix's potential growth as a team, as he now has potential to play in high-post spots in a similar vein of Oso Ighodaro.

The 15 rebounds snagged by Maluach is another incredible display. The three offensive boards gave the Suns more chances to generate a basket, while preventing Wembanyama from doing the same for the Spurs.

Maluach may not be the Suns' starting center in game one of the regular season, but he is proving to be more than capable to be the long-term solution behind a multitude of factors.

It remains to be seen if Ighodaro or Maluach will receive the start in the Suns' rematch against the Spurs on Wednesday.