Suns Rookie Among Summer League 'Losers'

The Phoenix Suns injected some youth into their team by taking Duke center Khaman Maluach with the No. 10 overall pick in the NBA Draft last month.

Maluach is only 18 years old but he has the chance to contribute for the Suns as early as this upcoming season.

However, Bleacher Report writer Jonathan Wasserman thinks he has some work to do during the offseason as he was named one of the "losers" of the Las Vegas Summer League showcase.

"It seemed odd that the Phoenix Suns would draft Khaman Maluach and then almost instantly trade for Mark Williams. It makes a little more sense after watching summer league, where the No. 10 pick struggled offensively and averaged 4.0 fouls in just 23.3 minutes," Wasserman wrote.

"It was fun and encouraging to see Maluach get off 13 three-point attempts after only taking 16 all season at Duke. He's clearly not ready to be a regular threat from outside, though.

"And while the size, length and movement remain functional for finishing lobs and protecting the rim, summer league showed his rawness and lack of physicality around the post.

"It's obviously all about the long term for Maluach, who's 7'2" with a 9'6" reach and some shotmaking range. However, it's difficult to picture him playing anything but an energy or backup role in the short term."

Maluach will have a lot of adjustments to make from the college game to the pros, but he has the tools needed to succeed.

The Suns simply have to put him in the right position to improve, which shouldn't be much of a challenge given the fact that he is the only top-10 pick of their own on the roster.

Maluach will take the next few months to improve his game before Suns training camp starts in the fall.