Phoenix Suns fans won't have much longer to wait to watch some actual basketball being played, with the return of NBA Summer League to Las Vegas.
The Suns will be there to give some young players and guys hoping to earn a spot somewhere in the league some run, and that will include their own first round selection in Koa Peat.
Peat's comments on offensive rebounds should be reason for optimism
The 19-year-old spoke to the media ahead of making his debut for the franchise, and mentioned that his main goal for Summer League was leading all players in offensive rebounding. A feat he also managed last season with Arizona, leading the Big 12 in the same category.
This sounds like the kind of self-improvement to make the team better that the Suns can clearly get behind, although there is a section of the fanbase that feels Peat is limiting himself. You're a first round pick, the goals should be loftier than that, or so their thinking goes.
They're not wrong, but it is refreshing to hear a youngster not proclaim they want to become a franchise legend and win multiple championships from day one. Getting NBA ready at a skill he is already very good at (and likely factored into the Suns selecting him in the first place) is a smart way to ensure a role in the rotation during the regular season.
Much more is expected of sophomore Rasheer Fleming in 2026-27, while both Ryan Dunn and Oso Ighodaro could feel some pressure ahead of next year's trade deadline.
Which sets up a scenario in which Peat's offensive rebounding becomes valuable to a Suns roster that is not the biggest, as both Dillon Brooks and Miles Bridges occupy the starting forward spots.
Center Mark Williams has had his injury woes, and it could be that Ighodaro slides up to the five (as he has done on occasion before) and Peat gets more minutes as a bouncy and energetic forward alongside him.
Those who don't like these comments will also point to a jump shot that needs a ton of working relative to Peat's work on the glass. Also fair.
But leaning into what he is good and comfortable at seems a solid plan to show the franchise they were right to take a chance on him. Summer League is full of guys trying to prove a point and out work one another, and Peat looks up to the challenge of getting in the mix.
Comments to be excited by.
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