Why PATIENCE is the PROCESS, with Khaman Maluach for the Phoenix Suns

Why PATIENCE is the PROCESS, with Khaman Maluach for the Phoenix Suns

Is Kamal Malaw ready to take on a big role for the Suns going into his rookie season? Dive into his film from his summer league showing that kind of suggest that he might be capable of doing some things, but maybe a high volume of minutes may not be what’s suggested for him going into this campaign. All right, picking up on Kaman first play. All of these are going to be on the offensive side of the ball. We’re just going to be paying attention to how he’s kind of reading things and delay action here. gets into this kind of scenario where the players are screening and handing off to one another. But the thing he’s got to be better at is just generally being stronger with the ball in his hands. These things are non-negotiables if you want to get into these modern types of offensive flows. He’s got to be better with the ball in his hands. Let me get to the next clip here. Picks up a loose ball again in transition. Paying attention to him at the top side of the floor. What we want to pay close attention to as we look at Malawatch is who’s matched up with him. He’s in transition right here. He’s got a small. This is Will Riley. This is a guard/wing. In this situation, there should be no stopping from him. It’s not necessarily a traditional rim run, but he should be taking that player directly to the middle of the rim and letting for that be that pain touch to either be gravity for an advantage to take place for him or for the tension because of the mismatch to set the advantage for someone else. Instead, he kind of calls for the ball and then goes into a dribble handoff situation. After this switch that take place takes place, look who’s now matched up with him. The advantage that once was at the early part of the shot clock now ends up with him in a dribble handoff situation that puts a sensor on him and Alex Sar the Sun’s offense hasn’t created any advantage because of it and things kind of go downhill from there. You want to see him do a much better job with his game process kind of being better with that. Does kind of make up for it a little bit on the back end of the play. Not the most sharp. This is not going to work on the NBA level, but he does kind of make something out of nothing in this situation. But generally speaking, you want to see him better with his process there. Then we get to the next clip. Again, in transition has a small on him. You see him doing a good job of communicating where he wants the ball to go to set up shot for a post up. However, he can also because of this mismatch that he has in the post right now, just walk his man right to the middle of the basket. that’s probably going to draw over the help defender that’s right next to where Ryan Dunn is at the bottom right corner of the screen. That’s creating an advantage without him even needing to touch the ball. Just the simple the presence of that mismatch could present an opportunity either for him on the pass or for his teammates because of his the opponent’s defense trying to figure out how to kind of take away the mismatch. Instead, he’s kind of wrestling in the post with it. Doesn’t get the most advantageous pickup or advantageous catch point on this post up. We want to see him much closer to where the block is. Does kind of make a little bit of something out of nothing. Trying to get downhill. But again, because he’s starting so far away from the post, the actual post, he has to kind of work his way to it. That allows for the help to kind of come in and have impact. Ends up being a turnover in a situation that should have been another major advantage for the signs early in the shot clock. We get to the next clip. He’s going to be spaced to the opposite dunker spot of where Osuaro’s catch is taking place here. So you want to pay close attention to where he is right in this area over here on the baseline. Pick up on where Miloatch is and then just kind of pay close attention to him as as play kind of develops. So you get the touch for Oso. No different than with Miloatch. You want to have OSO a much better post position in here. Nonetheless, as action takes place, you see him go from setting that kind of flare screen, forcing a reaction out of the help defense. That was really turns into opportunity for him to cut to the basket, gets a monstrous dunk, adds a little momentum for his teammates. And they get to this next one here. This is their final game against the Minnesota Timberwolves. See him kind of flowing into offense. Not a traditional rim run, but he’s just kind of spacing a little bit. This is what you want to see. He’s playing, he’s being played off of off of this pick and roll second side. He’s able to just get into an easy catch and raise. Does so with confidence. Nothing major to break down, but we just want to notice if he’s able to kind of stay above the three-point line in transition. That’s going to create opportunity for his teammates that’s going to be a little bit more unique than what the Suns have been working with in the past couple of seasons. And then this next one, this is going to be where we’re looking at his screening and only his screening for this last handful of plays for the most part. So, you get to this point where he’s getting into this dribble handoff. Watch the way that the ball handlers defender is able to just kind of slide through mostly undeterred and no advantage is created. He has to do a much better job with the angles of the screens that he’s setting for his teammates to create flow and create advantage. Moses Wood isn’t able to truly turn the corner because of that. End up getting not necessarily the best look after this. And we get to the next clip. It’s a little bit more of the same here. More of him with screening. You want to see him do a much better job create creating contact but also with the angle. This angle is entirely too flat. He wants his butt to be facing the direction that he wants his ball handler to be going, which is getting downhill and also getting into that kind of bottom third of the the ball handler defender. This one’s far too flat, too parallel to the sideline, if you will. No advantages created. Yuri Collins ends up having to take a contested layup at the basket. Doesn’t get the advantage down. And then this next one, it’s going to be a little bit more of the same again. Now, no contact being made. The angle’s not the best. Now, you can say some of this is on his guards needing to do a better job of setting up the screen, but he could also do a much better job of stealing back that pace and kind of doing a better job with the angle and creating that contact. No advantage created again. Yuri Collins ends up taking a contested midi two right there. Get to the next clip. And this one is going to be doing a much better job of the angle and also the contact. Angle, boom, contact, boom. Then he kind of gets out of there quick, gets downhill because it’s spain pick and roll. him getting out of there screen to roll situation quickly is advantageous ends up resulting in an alley opportunity for him where he gets fouled and then this rep here a little bit more the same a similar action not necessarily the most true of kind of spain picking roll if you will but what he’s doing a better job with here is nailing that screen and because he nails that screen look at the advantage that that creates for the ball handler kind of getting downhill that ends up turning into an opportunity for him to then where he should in kind of situation we talked about earlier, take this mismatch or take this switch immediately to the front of the rim and allow for the mismatch to create gravity and be an advantage in and of itself. He kind of tries to negotiate and communicate with his teammates what action to get into next. The pick and roll ends up working to a certain extent in this situation because he’s going to be able to get a offensive rebound against the switch. But what you want to see him do before getting to that offensive rebound versus switch is take any switch immediately to the front of the basket, to the front of the rim, throw his arms up and allow for his size and wingspan to be something that attracts extra attention. And if it doesn’t come, then he’s got a one-on-one and an easy basket opportunity before the help defense can get there. But likely, it ends up in a double team. He can kind of kick it out or the person that’s making a direct pass can make that skip and it creates rotations for the Suns on offense. ends up getting to the free throw line to finish that one off. Then we get to the next one. This one really intrigues me because he’s going to be in the bottom right corner of the screen. He’s not involved in the rep where they are getting into Spain pick and roll once again. And that really intrigues me because if he’s able to be a true spacer in confidence, but also in efficiency to make a defense have to pay when the Suns try to get into these type of Spain pick and roll three player actions. He’s able to kind of shake up a little bit, hold the corner to where you see the matchup where he’s who the person who’s guarding him is trying to help out on the switch that took place on Oso Igodaro with Rob Dillingham in the paint. So, he’s kind of caught in conflict. He commits to kind of helping out with Oso in the paint. That leaves Malawash wide open for three here. And because he’s wide open, because of the action that they’re getting into, he’s going to be able to lace this one up, knock it down with confidence. Again, just the little things if he’s able to kind of do these things on the margins is going to significantly help him to sustain in terms of his role with the team and potentially add value even in his rookie season with the flaws that he does have at this moment. All right, there you have it. Kaman Malawatch is not quite ready to take on a significant minutes total for multiple reasons. Some of it strengthwise, some of it skill-wise, some of it experience. None of these should be surprising coming from someone that is 18 years old going into his rookie season, having only played basketball for so many years. He’s not necessarily a draft and stash player, per se, but he is a player that’s going to take some internal investing in in terms of his skill development. And with that time, should he be given that, he could ultimately be that piece that the Suns drafted him to be with the number 10 pick in the 2025 NBA draft. We all sitting like the mayor.

Khaman Maluach, the number 10 pick of the 2025 NBA draft for the Phoenix Suns, is a project. He comes into the NBA with league-ready size and measurables.

However, he’s relatively “new” to basketball still, having only played for five or so years to date. That comes with a significant learning curve, both in thinking the game through, in skill, in athleticism, and in processing.

Patience is the word, as, though he’s certainly a quick learner, there’s plenty in play for him that will need to be invested in as he grows into his game.

Take a look at some of his Summer League film, flaws and all, with Stephen PridGeon-Garner (@StephenPG3) for his latest “Stephen’s Study.”

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