Khaman Maluach Fixed His Biggest Problem in One Game. The Suns Noticed.

Khaman Maluach put together back-to-back double-doubles to open NBA Summer League. But ask the Suns rookie what stood out, and he won’t point to the scoring. He won’t mention the rebounding. Not even the 3-point shooting.

He’ll tell you about the turnovers.

Maluach committed seven of them in the first game against Portland. That’s a lot for a 7-foot-1 center playing against Summer League talent. But here’s the thing: the very next night against New Orleans, he had zero. Clean sheet. Not one giveaway.

“It’s been a lot of learning experiences,” Maluach said after the win over the Pelicans. “It’s been a lot of stuff to get better on.”

Ball security isn’t flashy. It’s necessary.

Maluach dropped 19 points and 11 boards in the opener, then followed with a 15-point, 15-rebound night. Across those two games, he hit 5 of 11 from deep. For a guy with a 7-foot-6¾ wingspan who spent most of his rookie season bouncing between Phoenix and the G League, that’s real progress.

But he knows what matters for playing time in the regular season.

“Being a young kid, when the season gets here, a lot of people are going to pressure up and try to make me turn over the ball,” Maluach said. “Just got to be able to take care of the ball so my coach can trust me with the ball.”

The Suns drafted Maluach in the lottery back in 2025. He’s long, he’s skilled, and he’s starting to look comfortable from three-point range. That combination makes him one of the more interesting developmental projects on the roster. But guys who turn it over seven times in a Summer League game don’t get crunch-time minutes in October. Maluach seems to understand that.

One game doesn’t erase the problem. But going from seven turnovers to zero is exactly the kind of adjustment coaches notice. It shows a guy is listening. It shows he’s working on the right stuff.

The Suns have enough offensive firepower already. What they need is a dependable big who doesn’t bleed possessions. Maluach might not be there yet. But the fact that he’s talking about ball security as his top priority — and backing it up the next night — is a good sign for a franchise hoping its young center becomes a rotation piece soon.