It's not that common for rookies to make a team better defensively. Enter Phoenix Suns first-year players Rasheer Fleming and Khaman Maluch. Both of them have received immense support and praise from head coach Jordan Ott.
Ever since the Suns selected Maluach and Fleming in the 2025 NBA Draft, they have seen the potential. Both have the defensive abilities to switch, play pick-and-roll, and play bigger than their respective sizes.
As a result, this has allowed Ott to experiment and be creative. There may be offensive limitations, but the defensive promise far outweighs any shortcomings on the other end.
For example, they had a lineup at the five on small ball with Royce O'Neal, Collin Gillespie, Jordan Goodwin, Jalen Green, and Fleming.
It's an extremely small sample size, but that lineup posted an offensive rating of 141.7 and a defensive rating of 100 in just six minutes.
Will this lineup achieve a net rating of 41.7 every time it's on the court? Probably not, but it's a good metric to assess and see what the potential might be.
Fleming's 7'5 wingspan and 9'1 vertical reach make him the ideal small-ball center. Not to mention, his physicality and athleticism far exceeds that of a typical rookie.
Again, the numbers are small, but it seems like Ott is optimistic about moving forward with it based on the scenario.
"Both games (vs. Milwaukee and Indiana), it felt great," Ott explained via AZCentral's Duane Rankin on Twitter (formerly Twitter). "When to really get near it. Facing massive pullouts again."
"Some of the challenges we're having with guarding those guys with our bigger players are new. Just new situations that (7-foot freshman Khaman Maluach) has been in. Thought we were able to respond in the game to try to find another way to get a win on the road."
Defensive combo of Rasheer Fleming + Khaman Maluach = Jordan Ott for the Suns
Again, Fleming and Maluach, being rookies and picking up minutes, may have some skeptics, but they have earned their fair share of respect from their teammates and coaches.
Tireless work, playing with the G-League Valley Suns and constantly staying prepared are all parts of the process that helped him get here. Eventually, the Suns relied on Fleming and Maluach by trading Nigel Hayes-Davies and Nick Richards at the trade deadline.
While part of this was for salary cap purposes, it shows the confidence the organization and the entire team have in these two rookies.
As for the former St. Joe's forward, he has all the makings of an elite defensive player. As mentioned earlier, her mentality as well as physical gifts have attracted many people.
Even Suns teammates Grayson Allen and Colin Gillespie shared that Fleming's ceiling is so high. Devin Booker noted Maluach as having high basketball skills for a center, and for a young man like himself.
Given where we are in the season, a contending team typically doesn't aim to keep two rookies around for a significant amount of time. However, Ott appears to have a lot of offensive and defensive potential.
Trust is growing with teammates, lineup experiments are going well, and Maluach and Fleming seem to be playing freely.
Phoenix's defensive rating is already the tenth-best in the association. The influx of lineup combinations could disrupt a set five-man unit. However, this may be a blessing in disguise because of the opportunity both Fleming and Maluach have.
Meaningful minutes and impacting the game on the defensive end with strong rim protection, perimeter defense and a never-ending hustle is exactly what Ott was good at — and it's paying dividends.
