Phoenix Suns rookie Khaman Maluach finished with another double-double on Monday, helping lead the Valley Suns in a loss on the road to the Salt Lake City Stars.
Maluach produced 15 points, 13 rebounds, two assists and two blocked shots in the 140-127 loss at the Maverik Center. He finished by shooting 6-of-11 from the field, including 3-of-5 from 3-point range, in 32 minutes as the Suns dropped to 3-10.
The 10th pick connected on a season-high three 3-pointers. He looked confident, pulling up from beyond the arc en route to his fourth double-digit-scoring effort in the G League.
Maluach has played sporadically to begin the season with Phoenix, totaling 59 minutes across 12 appearances. Suns coach Jordan Ott has opted to go with Mark Williams, Oso Ighodaro and Nick Richards for his center rotation, leaving Maluach out of the mix.
The 7-footer logged his sixth appearance in the G League, averaging 15.8 points, 12 rebounds, 2.7 blocks and 1.3 assists while shooting 58.3% shooting from the field. He has registered a double-double in four straight games with the group.
Maluach was highly touted out of Duke because of his size, defensive potential and ability to work down low. With playing time limited, the team will continue to explore opportunities for him in the G League to maximize his development this season.