LAS VEGAS — Khaman Maluach walked off the floor Sunday with 15 points, 15 rebounds, two blocks and a steal. But the number that had people talking was zero. Zero turnovers. For a guy who turned it over seven times two nights earlier, that’s not just improvement. That’s a complete reset.
The Phoenix Suns big man took the court against the New Orleans Pelicans in Summer League and looked like a different player. New Orleans sent bodies at him all game. They swiped at the ball. They tried to knock it loose. They blitzed him the same way they did Friday. But this time, Maluach held on.
The turnover problem was real
Friday was ugly. Maluach had seven turnovers in that game, and most of them came from the same thing — defenders getting into his chest, forcing him to handle pressure he wasn’t ready for. The Pelicans watched that tape and came out Sunday planning to do the exact same thing. It didn’t work.
“It’s just the turnovers and being able to take care of the ball,” Maluach said afterward. “I feel like I turned the ball over a lot yesterday. I feel like I did a better job today of taking care of the ball, and that’s something I’ve got to emphasize a lot.”
He knows what’s coming. NBA teams will press up on him. They’ll test his handle. They’ll try to make him look shaky. Maluach said it himself: “I just got to be able to take care of the ball so that my coach can trust me on the ball.”
The Suns drafted this guy for a reason
Phoenix grabbed Maluach in the 2025 NBA Draft with a long view in mind. They didn’t throw him into the fire as a rookie. They sent him to the G League instead, where Summer League coach Chaisson Allen worked with him closely. Allen also helped develop Rasheer Fleming, another rookie whose minutes climbed as the season went on.
The center rotation in Phoenix already has Mark Williams and Oso Ighodaro, and all three bring something different. Williams is the established rim runner. Ighodaro is more of a connector. Maluach? He might have the highest ceiling of the group. The size is there. The motor is there. Now the ball security is starting to show up.
Getting starts in Summer League has given Suns fans a look at what’s coming. Maluach plays with a constant chip on his shoulder. He never looked comfortable on Friday, but Sunday he looked like a guy who figured something out. That’s the kind of adjustment that coaches notice. That’s the kind of game that earns trust.
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