Maluach Heads Into Camp as Phoenix's Only Available Center

David Stockton was signed and waived over the weekend, a footnote that nonetheless underlines how thin things have gotten at center for the Suns. Mark Williams is out for an extended period after shoulder surgery on September 11. Duop Reath, signed a week later on a one-year non-guaranteed deal to add some body behind Maluach, is currently unavailable. That leaves Khaman Maluach — a Summer League prospect two months ago — as the only center Phoenix can actually put on the floor when training camp opens.

The Williams injury was the gut punch. Phoenix re-signed him to a fully guaranteed deal this summer specifically because of what he gave them last season: 11.7 points and 7.9 rebounds per game on 65.5% shooting, elite efficiency from a young finisher. That's gone, at minimum through the early part of the season. The Reath signing was meant to take some pressure off Maluach while the front office waited for Williams to return. That buffer is now unavailable too.

So it falls to Maluach. His Summer League run in July drew real attention, and the organization has been publicly bullish on his development. But Summer League praise and regular-season minutes are different things, and the Suns are about to find out which version shows up. Oso Ighodaro — a forward who shot 64.4% last season — can slide toward the paint in a pinch, but that's a workaround, not a solution.

Phoenix built this offseason around offensive firepower: Brooks locked in, Booker anchoring everything, the perimeter loaded with shooting. The frontcourt was supposed to be the settled part. Right now it's the only question mark that doesn't have an answer.