Pacific Notes: Maluach, Kennard, Curry, Niederhauser

Despite the Suns having re-signed Mark Williams to a three-year deal, the development of second-year center Khaman Maluach is one of the most important things for the team’s long-term outlook.

The big man out of South Sudan knows that it’s on him to spearhead his growth, and has started looking to some of the greats of the era to help propel him forward in his journey, starting with four-time Defensive Player of the Year Rudy Gobert.

He knows he needs to get stronger and said that he has been in the weight room all summer, in addition to reaching out to veterans to get their insight.

His Summer League performance has been very encouraging, as he posted double-doubles in all four games while averaging 19.5 points. Most importantly, he showed the skill that could be most important to his ability to carve out a major role next season, according to Gerald Bourguet of AZ Central: his three-point shooting.

Maluach shot 8-for-20 from three in the four games, displaying impressive consistency, confidence, and volume after only knocking down 23.8% of his shots from deep as a rookie. His ability to be a threat from beyond the arc could unlock potential for two-big lineups with Very IghodaroBourguet notes.

We have more from around the Pacific Division:

• After losing Grayson Allen and Royce O’Neale in a trade with the Hornets, the Suns had a clear need for a volume three-point shooter, which is where the recently-signed Luke Kennard comes in, according to Duane Rankin of AZ Central. Allen shot 41.0% from three on 6.6 attempts per game in his three seasons with Phoenix, while O’Neale hit 40.7% over his last two seasons with the team. While it will be tough for Kennard to fill the gap left by both players, he has led the league in three-point percentage three different times and is coming off a playoff run with the Lakers that forced him to increase his aggression. For as good a shooter as he is, he tends not to offer as much volume as some of his counterparts, including Allen, who has attempted 506 more threes over the last three years than Kennard.
• Last season was not the reunion with his brother that Seth Curry was hoping for when he signed with the Warriors. The injuries that limited him to just 10 games are still not fully in the rearview mirror, Will Simonds writes for NBC Sportsbut the 35-year-old free agent would be open to a return to the Bay Area and a chance for a do-over. “I’m just trying to get completely healthy still, in the offseason and see what happens here in July and August with free agency,” Curry said last week. “A lot of turnover throughout the league with a lot of transactions. At this point in my career, just trying to find a perfect situation for me, and see what happens going forward this summer.”
• Yanic Konan Niederhauser was starting to find his rhythm with the Clippers last year before a right foot injury caused him to miss the end of the season. He’s still working his way back and missed this year’s Summer League due to the recovery process, but he feels that he’s progressing in encouraging ways, including adding significant muscle, writes Clippers beat writer Joey Linn (subscriber link). “I’ve been gaining weight, putting in as much work as I can and doing whatever I can do right now,” he said. “Just controlling what I can control. I was 238 (pounds) when I got hurt, so that’s 27 pounds. Once I got hurt and heard I had to get surgery and everything, I started thinking, ‘What can I do now? What’s next?’ One thing was just to work to get heavier and stronger. That’s what I focused on the whole time because that’s what I could do.” He added that he’s feeling more confident in his jump shot and touch around the rim, and that the most disappointing part of missing Summer League was losing out on a chance to establish chemistry with top-five pick Keaton Wagler.