Khaman Maluach already caught his first official “welcome to the NBA” moment, and it was courtesy of Peyton Watson. The Phoenix Suns big man, all 7-foot-2 of him, tried to meet Watson at the rim during a game against the Denver Nuggets, and Watson absolutely exploded through the play, finishing with a highlight dunk that sent the whole base up. Talk about a rude awakening, right? This wasn’t some soft lay-up, this was a straight-up poster moment.
“Welcome To The League, Man”
Maluach himself broke down the play during a sit-down with his Suns teammate Dillon Brooks. He was just subbed in when Watson came off a pick-and-roll, and Maluach said he was thinking, “‘Oh, I’m just gonna body up.’” But before he knew it, Watson was soaring. “And he goes up, and he dunks the ball, and like, boom, boom. I see the whole base up, and I was like, ‘Yep, welcome to the league, man.’” Maluach thought his 7-foot-2 frame and massive wingspan would be enough to shut down the rim. But the NBA moves fast, man. Watson just blew right through him for a highlight play.
The Fire That Refuses To Quit
Here’s the wild part, though: Dillon Brooks, his own teammate, could only laugh, but he also gave Maluach huge credit. Brooks said, “But one thing about you, though, is that you don’t care about none of that shit. Because half the time, you’re gonna get those blocks. But that one was a pretty good highlight. I can’t even lie.” That’s the real story! Rookies get dunked on, it happens. But the great defenders? They keep challenging. They don’t let one bad highlight stop them from jumping on the next play. Maluach gets it.
Yeah, his rookie season was “largely underwhelming,” with averages of 3.2 points, 2.9 rebounds, and 0.7 blocks in 46 appearances, playing just 8.8 minutes per game. Those numbers aren’t gonna light up the scoreboard. But the Suns clearly see something in him. We saw flashes, like his first career start against the Dallas Mavericks, where he snagged 14 rebounds and swatted away three blocks. Then he went off in the 2026 Summer League, averaging 19.5 points and 12.8 rebounds per game, even earning All-Summer League Second Team honors. That’s serious growth right there!
Now, heading into his second season, Maluach has a chance to turn those flashes into consistent production. Watson’s dunk is probably stuck in his brain forever, but you know what? He doesn’t sound embarrassed. He sounds like he learned a valuable lesson. The NBA is a highlight factory, and even the best defenders end up on posters. But Maluach learned it early, and Brooks’ words confirm it: he got dunked on, and he’s still going to jump next time. You gotta love that kind of heart.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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