Jordan Ott’s experience coaching the frontcourt duo of Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley in Cleveland could come into play after the Phoenix Suns acquired Duke center Khaman Maluach in the 2025 NBA Draft.
The Suns’ new coach was instrumental in the Houston Rockets picking Maluach 10th overall on behalf of Phoenix, general manager Brian Gregory said after the first round concluded.
“In all these meetings, Jordan was lockstep with us,” Gregory told reporters. “Watching film with us, talking about different things … how we’re gonna play, what are things that are important to him and with his experience.
“Obviously, last year in Cleveland, his time with the Lakers, having bigs that are versatile, can protect the rim but can still get up on ball screens and not just play to drop, be more aggressive defensively on the perimeter was a big, big part of our decision process.”
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Mobley started to realize his defensive potential in 2024-25, Ott’s only season with the Cavaliers, making First Team All-Defense for the first time in his career. Allen was among the others receiving votes for the honor.
Maluach rejected an ACC-best 51 shots as a freshman, so his reputation as a rim deterrent is clear. However, centers in the modern NBA have to do much more than just park at the rim and block shots, and Gregory believes Maluach can impact the game beyond that from Day 1.
Chet Holmgren and Myles Turner anchored the two NBA Finals teams as centers who can dominate at the rim while spending some possessions at the level of screens the way Maluach did at Duke.
“The versatility on defense is already there. He can switch, obviously guard on the perimeter,” Gregory said. “All those things which, if you’ve watched the last eight weeks of the NBA playoffs and so forth, it’s so critical to have versatility on the defensive end as well.”
Offensive versatility is a different story for the big man, as he shot just 4-for-16 from 3 over 39 games while indicating with his touch and free throw percentage (76.6%) that larger growth can still be made.
“Offensively, his percentage wasn’t great from the 3. Obviously, with that team, it wasn’t needed for him to shoot that (shot),” Gregory said. “Through his workouts and through our research, I do think he’s 19 years old so he has a pathway to improve on the perimeter offensively, especially stretch 3s from the corner, above the break, pick-and-pop action, which is so important in today’s NBA game.
“And again, one of the things that is critical for us that we’re always looking at is do guys have any obstacles in their way to stop them from continuing to develop? … Player development has to be critical, so you have to bring in guys that want to develop, want to be coached, want to work hard. And he definitely is all those things and more.”
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