Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker singled out second-year centre Khaman Maluach as the player who has developed most over the summer. Speaking on media day on Monday, Booker said the 20-year-old is ahead of schedule entering the new season.
"He's way ahead of the curve just to be going into his second year. He's asking a lot of questions but you can tell he's asking them when he already knows the answer and knows what to do," Booker said.
Maluach, the No. 10 pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, organised extra sessions with Booker at the practice facility, working on two-man game timing, screens and ball placement. "He has done this for a long time and he has a lot of tools that I can learn from him as a young center," Maluach said.
The improvement matters more now because starting centre Mark Williams is expected to miss at least five months, a timeline that would sideline him past the All-Star break. Third-year big Oso Ighodaro, who started 24 regular-season games plus four in the playoffs when Williams was out last season, said he is not taking the role for granted. "In terms of me and Khaman, we've been competing for the last two months," Ighodaro said.
Head coach Jordan Ott declined to name a starter, noting the season opener sits 23 days away.
