2025 Top 10 Pick Records Monster Double-Double in G League Win

The 2025 NBA Draft class has impressed early on.

From early picks like Cooper Flagg, VJ Edgecombe, Kon Knueppel and others, to later selections like Maxime Raynaud, a number of first-year players have performed well this season.

While much of the focus has been on the aforementioned players, there are a few other premier picks from last summer who haven't found the same success in the NBA yet.

Khaman Maluach, the No. 10 overall pick in the 2025 class, has appeared in just 26 contests so far in his rookie season, averaging 5.3 minutes per game. Phoenix selected Maluach with the pick acquired in from Houston for trading Kevin Durant to the Rockets.

Maluach's limited playing time early in his career shouldn't come as a surprise. The 19-year-old was a raw prospect at Duke who still has plenty to improve on before becoming a regular rotation player for a competitive team.

With the Suns, who have a chance to reach the playoffs this season, Maluach likely won't be ready to contribute in 2026. With intriguing physical tools, though, the former Blue Devils' big man could develop into a solid piece in the coming seasons.

Maluach is 7-feet and three quarters of an inch tall without shoes and has a 7-foot-6 and three quarters of an inch wingspan while weigning more than 250 pounds. The rookie big man's physical traints are enticing, and give him the potential to be a solid defender.

On Saturday night, the first-year center put his upside on display in the G League, helping the Valley Suns to a 112-105 win against the Texas Legends.

Maluach tallied a team-high 24 points, 17 rebounds, an assist, a steal and two blocks while shooting 12-of-23 from the field, 0-of-4 from 3-point range and 0-of-2 from the free throw line.

The top-10 pick is averaging 17.4 points, 13.4 rebounds and 2 blocks per game while shooting 48.6% from the field in five G League contests this season, compared to 1.8 points and 1.6 rebounds during his time on an NBA court.

Most of Maluach's minutes for the rest of this season will likely come in the G League, as the Suns sit 1.5 games behind the Los Angeles Lakers for the Western Conference's No. 6 seed. In the coming years, though, it would not be surprising to see Maluach start to find a more consistent place in Phoenix's lineup.

Rookie second-round pick Koby Brea started alongside Maluach in the Valley Suns' win against the Texas Legends. Brea notched 14 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 steals while shooting 5-of-16 from the field and 4-of-13 from beyond the arc.

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