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Khaman Maluach denying NBA Rookie of the Year Cooper Flagg at the rim against Dallas.

Rasheer Fleming dunking over Jaren Jackson Jr. in Memphis.

Koby Brea knocking down six 3s at defending NBA champion Oklahoma City to end the regular season.

They also watched their share of basketball from the bench or spent considerable time in the G League with the Valley Suns, but Maluach, Fleming and Brea showed enough in their rookie years to have the Phoenix Suns excited about their future with the franchise.

“Those guys are hungry to learn, hungry to get better, but there is no substitute for the minutes they were able to get towards the end of the year and in our playoff run and in the playoffs,� Suns general manager Brian Gregory said during his end-of-season press conference April 30.

“So, I think that’s going to really accelerate their process. Once you get a taste of that, you want it. You want to get back. You want to get back and be a different player when you get back, and I think those young guys feel that.�

The Suns landed all three in the 2025 draft.

The 7-1 Maluach was a lottery pick at the age of 18. Raw talent, passionate and energetic.

The athletic 6-8 Fleming possesses a 7-foot-5 wingspan. Can impact the game on both ends.

The 6-6 Brea is deadly from deep. Feet set. Rise up. Knock it down.

Essentially a year later, Phoenix hopes those three make a major jump from Year 1 to Year 2, but what could that mean for the Suns next season?

Maluach ready to start at center?

Season stats – 46 games (1 start), 3.0 ppg, 53.3% FG, 2.9 rpg

Career highs – points: 18 (April 12 at Oklahoma City), rebounds: 14 (April 8 vs. Dallas; April 12 at OKC), blocks: 5 (March 6 vs. New Orleans)

Playoffs – 4 games, 2.0 ppg, 50% FG, 2.3 rpg

The Suns landed their starting center during the 2025 draft when trading two first-round picks to Charlotte for Mark Williams. The 7-footer played a total of 106 games in three seasons with the Hornets, but when healthy, delivered 40 double-doubles in Charlotte.

The Suns put Williams on a conditioning plan to strengthen his body in hopes he’d have a healthier first year with them. Williams ended up playing a career-high 60 games, averaging 11.7 points on 64.4% shooting, eight rebounds and posted 14 double-doubles.

However, he missed 15 consecutive games late in the regular season with a left foot third metatarsal stress reaction that later sidelined him for the entire playoff series against the Thunder, who swept the Suns in the first round.

Oso Ighodaro started in place of Williams during this stretch except on April 8 when Maluach got the nod against the Mavericks in Phoenix.

Maluach scored just four points on only three shot attempts, but he grabbed a career-high 14 rebounds and blocked three shots, with one being against Flagg, his former Duke teammate.

Maluach often lacked the strength to really compete on an NBA level, but he has an inviting skill set.

He’s a lob threat, active on the offensive boards and blocks shots, but Maluach also showed a solid shooting stroke from 3 straight away up top. Maluach only shot 5-for-21 from deep, but he has the confidence to hoist.

If the big fella can knock down that shot, improve ball handling in terms of handoffs and dribbling, Maluach will challenge Williams for a starting spot.

The Suns will make Williams a restricted free agent by signing him to a qualifying offer of $9.6 million. They will then be able to match any offer sheet from another team.

Phoenix could keep rolling with Williams, who is just 24 years old, but Maluach should be the team’s future at that position, considering he was part of the Kevin Durant trade.

Will it be in Year 2 or Year 3 is the question.

Fleming rotation player, eventual starting forward?

Regular season – 55 games (1 start): 4.3 ppg, 40.5% FG (34.6% on 3s), 2.3 rpg

Career highs – points: 16 (March 8 vs. Charlotte, April 12 at OKC), rebounds: 7 (March 22 vs. Toronto), steals: 3 (March 30 at Memphis), blocks: 3 (March 13 at Toronto)

Playoffs – 3 games, 2.3 ppg, 60% FG, 0.3 rpg

Fleming went from playing just 18 games in the first three months of the season to 16 in March alone.

Injuries helped open the door, but Fleming also worked his way past Ryan Dunn for minutes. Showing his athleticism, Fleming made highlight plays on both ends.

Being a threat on corner 3s has raised his value. He shot 39.4% from the right corner, 35.6% from the left.

Fleming also had a low moment that’ll serve as motivation.

He missed two free throws late in a 101-100 loss March 19 at San Antonio that ended with Victor Wembanyama hitting a game-winning shot with 1.1 seconds left. How Fleming answered questions about the missed free throws revealed more about who he is than anything he did during the game.

He’s more a three, but Fleming may better serve the Suns as a four.

The Suns tried Royce O’Neale, the 6-foot-3-inch Jordan Goodwin, Dillon Brooks and Ryan Dunn at the four. O’Neale is a 3-point shooter, and Goodwin provides offensive rebounds and defense.

Brooks had a career year in his first season in Phoenix, and Dunn brings athleticism and activity, but the Suns need their power forward to be that backside defensive rebounder.

O’Neale averaged four defensive rebounds while Brooks, Dunn and Goodwin averaged less than three.

The Suns finished next to last in defensive rebounds in the regular season and playoffs.

As good of an athlete as Fleming is, the Suns need a four who can rebound better and guard multiple positions. He’s struggled keeping the ball in front, but has the talent to recover and disrupt the shot.

If the Suns can help Fleming rely more on game plan and technique when defending instead of athleticism, they’ll have a real stud on that end.

Combine that with improved 3-point shooting and gaining confidence in his ability to score off the bounce, Fleming could very well be ready to start at power forward at some point next season.

Brea following Gillespie's path?

Collin Gillespie went from being a two-way player his first year in Phoenix to having a career year in Year 2.

The Suns guard averaged 12.7 points, shot 40.1% from 3 and set a single-season franchise record for made 3s with 232.

He’s an unrestricted free agent looking to sign a new deal with Phoenix for likely $10 million or so a year.

Brea was taken in the second round of the 2025 draft and signed a two-way deal in Phoenix.

He led the NCAA in 3-point shooting percentage at 49.8% in 2023-24 at Dayton and knocked down 43.4% of his 3s his last collegiate season at Kentucky in 2024-25.

He has good size to shoot over the top, but room to grow in other areas. Brea spent most of this season in the G League.

He's decent from 3 at 36.3% in 25 games. Brea averaged nearly two turnovers (1.6), managed just 2.5 assists a game, but was solid on the boards (4.7).

He suffered a concussion that set him back, as well, but the time Brea spent in the G League helped his development. Brea gave a glimpse of who he is with that career night to end the regular season at OKC.

This summer is going to be huge for Brea.

He’ll learn quickly how much he’s improved in the team pickup games, but if Brea can dominate in the summer league, it will set him up to compete for minutes with the Phoenix Suns.

It’s going to be hard to crack the rotation, especially if the Suns retain most of their players, but it’s also tough to keep a guy who can shoot the ball like Brea on the bench.

If he shows growth on the defensive end, that’ll help his playing cause.