Khaman Maluach
Maluach is a 20-year-old second-year center who is in a real fight for the starting job with Oso Ighodaro while Mark Williams is out after September shoulder surgery, and he is likely to play meaningful minutes either way.
Role
Williams is out indefinitely, so the center minutes go to Maluach and Ighodaro. Ighodaro started the first two preseason games. Maluach started Oct. 10 against San Antonio and, per Yahoo (published Oct. 18), started the preseason finale too. In those games he played 23 minutes against the Spurs and 24 against Utah on Oct. 16. Coach Jordan Ott had not named an opening-night starter as of the reporting I found. Rotowire (via Fox Sports, checked Oct. 19) says he comes off the bench behind Ighodaro to begin the season but could start if Ighodaro struggles or is hurt. I could not confirm the actual opening-night starter, and I found no minutes or usage-rate projection. I found nothing on back-to-back rest plans.
He was strong in the Oct. 10 preseason game against the Spurs, with 10 points, 15 rebounds and 3 assists in 23 minutes, and held Victor Wembanyama to 13 points on 6-for-14 shooting, per Arizona Sports citing ESPN's Ben Golliver. Golliver named his growth the Suns' biggest preseason revelation. Booker said he had taken the biggest leap of anyone he saw this summer, per a Yahoo column from Oct. 2. He has the size to protect the rim, which lets the Suns pressure the perimeter more. Phoenix also does not have to rush Williams back.
He barely played last season and is short on experience. Ighodaro started the first two preseason games, offers playmaking and versatility, and fits the second unit's guards. Maluach's scoring was subpar in several exhibition games, including 7 points on 2-for-4 shooting against Utah on Oct. 16. His best game came in a start when Booker and Bridges were out, so it is a small sample against a thin opposing lineup. Foul trouble and miscues are a stated risk. Exhibition lines are not season statistics.
Where analysts split
The question is whether Maluach starts at center on opening night and holds the job, or comes off the bench behind Ighodaro until Ighodaro stumbles. Fans and Yahoo's Oct. 2 column say start him now. Rotowire says bench to begin, and Ott had not committed as of the reporting I found. The Oct. 18 Yahoo piece says he started the finale, which conflicts with Rotowire's bench projection.
Research confidence: reported. Outlooks are grounded in web search over current reporting and refreshed through the season.
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