One of the best stories of the 2025-26 Phoenix Suns has been the breakout of rookie Rasheer Fleming. In a Suns season that has exceeded expectations in so many ways, nobody expected this type of rookie season from the 31st pick of the 2025 NBA Draft.
His unparalled impact
Rasheer Fleming didn't join the Suns' rotation until after the All-Star break, but since then, his impact has been unparalled across the NBA.
Over this span, he holds the best NETRTG of any Sun at 11.6 (with the Suns going just 7-9 in those games), but it doesn't stop there. Among players with at least 7 losses over that span (a useful qualifier to measure him against his true peers), his NETRTG is the best in the NBA.
It's not just about how good they've been with him, it's how much *better* they've been with him. This season (excluding low-leverage possessions), the Suns have an 11.5 NETRTG with him on the floor and a 1.6 NETRTG without him (via databallr).
What really sets him apart: his 3-and-D
Post All-Star, the Suns best shooter (min. 15 3PA) is Rasheer Fleming, who's hitting 48.1% of his 3s on 52 3PAs. And that incredible rate doesn't just make him the Suns' best 3PT shooter, it makes him one of the best shooters in the NBA. Over that span, he's (tied for) the 3rd-best 3PT shooter in the NBA (min. 50 3PA).
Now, imagine adding that to a 6' 9" frame with a 7' 6" wingspan (spoiler: it's really good). He's quickly put that freakish wingspan to good use, as he's (tied for) 1st among all rookie forwards in blocks per minute (min. 250 MIN). His DFG% (42.3) is 9th-best among all forwards in the NBA this season (min. 175 DFGA).
That wingspan helps for more than just defense, too. Fleming ranks 4th among all PFs in the NBA in OREB per minute (min. 500 MIN), an especially valuable stat given the Suns' emphasis on offensive rebounding this season (T-4th in NBA).
The decision forced onto Jordan Ott
He wasn't ready to make this type of impact back when the season began, and Coach Ott and the Suns were smart to recognize that, but he might also be developing quicker than they had expected. He's already proven to be an extremely valuable, impactful NBA player, and yet, he's still just 10th in MPG among all Suns since All-Star Weekend.
The biggest obstacle in his way is just how deep this Suns team is, which is finally trending towards having a fully healthy roster. Even with a deep team, no other player can boast the type of impact that Fleming has. In fact, the player with the worst NETRTG (-3.9) on the Suns is Royce O'Neale, the player who Fleming could presumably overtake in the starting lineup.
It's an impact that cannot be ignored. The Suns are simply a better team with him on the floor, so why not play him more? Jordan Ott is running out of reasons not to, and with just 10 games left in the season, that's the question that Jordan Ott will need to answer ASAP.