3 Takeaways From Suns' First 2 Summer League Games

PHOENIX -- The first two games for the Phoenix Suns during the 2026 NBA Summer League have not been as entertaining as some fans were expecting, but there have been promising flashes so far.

Phoenix is now 1-1 after falling 81-75 to the New Orleans Pelicans this afternoon in a game the Suns never led.

The Suns squeaked out an 81-79 win over the Portland Trail Blazers in their opening game on Friday.

Here are the three biggest takeaways from the first two games for the Summer Suns:

It's Been A Struggle Offensively So Far

The Suns have really struggled offensively in the first half of both games so far, and their shots have not been falling.

Phoenix has had a hard time getting off good looks, shooting 14-for-58 (24.1%) from 3-point range and also turned the ball over 38 times over the two games.

This is not super unexpected, as the Suns really don't have an elite ball handler on the team, but rather a lot of catch-and-shoot players, so the offense has been really stagnant at times.

A lot of these players have never played together before either, and there is always a chance of sloppy play in summer league for any team, and Phoenix is clearly experiencing this right now.

Khaman Maluach, Koa Peat Impressing

Maluach has looked like the best player on the floor for the Suns, getting it done on both sides of the ball and recording a double-double in both games so far (19 points, 11 rebounds against Portland; 15 points, 15 rebounds against New Orleans).

He has also recorded three steals and three blocks and cashed in five 3-pointers, showing a terrific ability to alter shots around the rim and space out the floor offensively.

Khaman Maluach vs. Pelicans:

15 PTS
5-9 FG
2-4 3PT
15 REB
2 BLK

+10 rating in game that Suns lost by 6.pic.twitter.com/Y2aNitIULc
— Underdog NBA (@UnderdogNBA) July 12, 2026

Peat has been impressive as well in his first summer league after being drafted 30th overall last month, scoring 17 points against the Blazers and 12 against the Pelicans.

He has shown his capability to handle the ball, shoot in the mid-range and defend at a high level in addition to his strong suit of attacking the basket.

Peat laid out a goal of leading the summer league in offensive rebounds, but only has two so far even with all the Suns' missed shots, so this is an area he can look to improve in the next few games.

Need to See More From Koby Brea, Rasheer Fleming

The biggest disappointment from the Suns' top players so far has been sharpshooter Koby Brea, who has only scored seven points total and shot 2-for-17 from the field and 0-for-10 from 3 in the two games.

Phoenix simply needs to see more out of Brea, who spent the majority of his rookie season in the G League, if he wants to have a chance at minutes in the 2026-27 season.

Fleming has had some good moments, but not been a player who looks "too good for summer league," which some expected him to be going into Vegas because of his size and rookie year experience.

Last season's 31st pick did play well in the second half against the Pelicans and has been impressive defensively with four blocks and three steals, but he needs to find more consistency with his offense, as he is just 1-for-8 from 3-point range so far.

The Suns' next game is tomorrow night at 7:00 p.m. MST against the Milwaukee Bucks, and they could rest some players on the second leg of a back-to-back.

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