3 Overreactions to Suns' Summer League Performance

PHOENIX -- The Phoenix Suns' top young talent put together quite a performance at the 2026 NBA Summer League in Las Vegas.

Khaman Maluach, Rasheer Fleming and Koa Peat all showed impressive flashes for what they can bring to the table as soon as this upcoming season.

Now, all three have been shut down ahead of Phoenix's final game in Vegas tonight against the San Antonio Spurs.

With that said, it's still Summer League and it was only four games against lower-level competition, so there's only so much that can be taken away.

Here were the three biggest overreactions to this year's Summer Suns:

1. Rasheer Fleming Didn't Show Enough

Fleming was a potential "too good for Summer League" candidate going into Vegas because of the flashes he showed his rookie season, but he did not have the best start over the first couple games.

This all turned around when he came out ultra-aggressive in his final Summer League game in Wednesday's win over the Detroit Pistons and poured in 22 points on 8-of-12 shooting to go along with eight rebounds.

The thing is the Suns aren't asking Fleming to do much besides play defense, be active on the glass and not be afraid to shoot, which are three areas he excelled at in Vegas even when his shot wasn't falling early on.

Fleming's final performance could instill even more confidence heading into the 2026-27 season.

2. Khaman Maluach Should Be Starting Center Opening Night

Maluach was not only the most dominant player on the floor for the Suns in Vegas, but also put a lot of outside people on notice because of how well he played.

After not getting many minutes his rookie season, last summer's No. 10 overall pick averaged 19.5 points and 12.8 rebounds and shot 40% from 3 over Phoenix's first four games while also showing a terrific ability to protect the rim defensively.

Maluach arguably has the most upside on the team, but there's no reason for the Suns to try to rush him into a big role right away, especially after re-signing Mark Williams and with Oso Ighodaro still on the team.

Phoenix still needs to find a way to get Maluach on the floor, but until he proves he can do it on the big stage and looks more settled in, the Suns should continue to bring him off the bench.

The hope eventually is that Maluach can be the starting 5 and that one of Williams or Ighodaro is traded, but the Suns don't need to immediately thrust him into this role.

3. Suns Need to Find Big Minutes for Khaman Maluach, Rasheer Fleming and Koa Peat Right Away

The Suns took a very patient approach with Maluach and Fleming in their rookie years, so fans naturally want to see more of them on the floor this season.

Peat also stood out in Vegas after being drafted 30th overall and his old-school style of play translated just fine in the Summer League.

Still, Phoenix is very deep heading into next season and did open a path to at least Fleming seeing more minutes after trading away Grayson Allen and Royce O'Neale, but as mentioned above with Maluach, the Suns don't have to rush playing their young talent.

If last season showed anything, it was that opportunities can arise at any moment and players were more than able to take advantage of them under coach Jordan Ott, so this should be the case once again and for Phoenix to continue to trust its developmental program, which it has taken a lot of pride in recently.

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