If you expected Khaman Maluach to look like a star in Game 1, you’re missing the entire point of Summer League

The biggest takeaway from Summer League isn’t the score, it’s how the Suns are challenging their rookie.

It’s strange that this even needs to be said, but maybe it’s time for a public service announcement:

Summer League doesn’t count, but it absolutely matters.

No, it won’t show up in the standings. There’s no trophy anyone will remember. But for the rookies stepping onto an NBA floor for the first time, it’s everything. It’s an introduction. A proving ground. For sophomores, it’s a measuring stick. Did they grow or just age? And for the guys on the fringe — the two-way contract hunters, the G League hopefuls — this is their postseason, their spotlight, their shot.

But let’s keep it real. You’re not walking away from a Summer League game with championship insight. What you can take away is this: who’s on the floor, how they move, what flashes, and where the gaps are.

Take Phoenix Suns’ rookie and 10th overall pick Khaman Maluach.

In the first half of his debut against the Wizards, he didn’t look comfortable. That’s not slander. That’s just the truth. He looked hesitant. The pace was fast, the physicality was real, and the 7’2” teenager from Duke looked, well, like a teenager. And then the takes started flying.

Absurd.

This is a kid who made his name crashing the boards and patrolling the paint in college. But in Phoenix, it’s clear they’re testing something different. With he and Oso Ighodaro sharing minutes, the Suns needed spacing. They needed someone to shoot from deep. Oso can’t. Maluach can, or at least he’s got a smoother stroke. So what did they ask him to do?

Camp the perimeter on some possessions. Fire from distance. Stretch the floor.

He went 0-for-5 from three before finally sinking one in garbage time. Was it pretty? Not at all. But it was what they wanted him to do. And he did it. They are challenging him to adapt his game, providing him with an opportunity in games that don’t count to try something new. They’re putting it on tape for the kid to look at and learn from.

His rebounding? Not great. His timing on rolls? A beat slow. His ball-handling? Encouraging, but rough around the edges. It looked like the game was happening to him instead of through him.

But here’s the part the hot-take crowd won’t tell you: he got better as the game went on. He played smarter. Got more physical. Set real screens. Moved with intention. Attacked the interior instead of floating around it.

This was his first professional game, kind of. He’s 18 years old. He’s 7-foot-2. So let’s chill with the “bust” nonsense. Seriously. Use your brain. This is where the process begins, not where it ends.

We’ll keep watching. We’ll look for growth. And we’ll remind ourselves that Maluach doesn’t need to look like Shaq or Hakeem on Day One. He needs to look like someone who’s trying. Someone who’s learning. Someone who’s willing to stretch his game, even if the shot doesn’t fall.

Because again, these games don’t count.

But they do matter.

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