How Suns Will Use First-Round Pick Koa Peat

PHOENIX -- After leaning into small ball during the 2025-26 season, the Phoenix Suns now have a decent amount of options who can allow them to play bigger after trading up and selecting Arizona forward Koa Peat with the 30th pick in the 2026 NBA Draft.

At 19 years old and without a reliable jump shot, there's a lot of upside for Peat to grow into, but his addition allows Phoenix to have a formidable group of young, big wings alongside Rasheer Fleming and Ryan Dunn, who were selected by the Suns in the two previous drafts.

The Suns will have to decide how exactly to utilize all these pieces within their system, but at the least, they have a lot of options at the 3 and 4 positions for the future to adjust to the modern era of jumbo wings.

What Will Koa Peat's Role Look Like With Suns?

Phoenix's roster won't look very different at all next season, and there's a chance Peat will be the team's only addition this summer on a standard contract with the Suns now having 14 of 15 standard spots filled ahead of Mark Williams' restricted free agency that's expected to see him wind back up in Phoenix.

With the Suns having so many established players and prioritizing player development in recent years, it's hard to see Peat having a big role, if any at all, in his rookie year, especially after Khaman Maluach, Fleming and Koby Brea all did not see much playing time in their first seasons last year.

Peat has been completely reworking his jumper after taking just 20 3-pointers total and shooting 62.3% from the free-throw line at Arizona, so the Suns will also have to try to develop him significantly in this area after he had a very poor NBA combine shooting performance.

Freshman 6’8 Koa Peat Klutch Pro day in front of NBA teams at Lakers Practice Facility 🔥 Koa was one of the best winners and mid range scorers in college basketball as a freshman pic.twitter.com/zydd25WglN
— Jordan Richard (@JordanRichardSC) May 22, 2026

The one facet of Peat's game that could allow him to see playing time is his downhill ability coupled with his strength, which is something no one else on the team has.

How the Suns would use this throwback style to their advantage is up to them, but Peat’s athleticism allowed him to thrive in transition at Arizona and Phoenix likes to play fast, which could lead to some opportunities for him to make an impact.

If Peat does get minutes, he could have a similar role to Oso Ighodaro where he switches onto multiple positions defensively and operates primarily in the short roll on offense with more of an ability to attack the paint in addition to playmaking.

He can also play in the dunker spot and out of the mid-post area like he did at Arizona if the Suns want to lean into more of an inside game next season.

No matter what, Peat fits the Suns culture with his grittiness and toughness, and coach Jordan Ott has found a way to maximize players with a similar mindset as him.

The 6-foot-7, 245-pound Peat has been a premier player on every team he has played for at this point, and it has only translated to winning, as exemplified by his four-straight state championships at Perry High School in Gilbert, four gold medals with Team USA and Final Four appearance at Arizona, so it would be a big adjustment for him to take on a much lesser role next season.

Koa Peat, Arizona’s Own

The last pick of the first round to his hometown Phoenix Suns.

Four time state basketball champion (2022, 2023, 2024,⁰2025)

Three time Arizona basketball⁰Gatorade Player of the Year (2023, 2024, 2025)

Two time Fiba U17 World Cup⁰Gold medalist…
— Jacob Seliga (@jacob_seliga) June 24, 2026

There's going to be time for Peat to showcase all he can bring to the table, but his rookie season will be all about figuring out how his tools can best fit what the Suns do, although Phoenix could already have a good plan for him given that it traded up 17 spots to select him.

Peat, a former five-star recruit and long-projected lottery pick, has the resume to make his case for playing time, but will have to prove he offers more than the likes of Fleming and Dunn among others if he will have a role his rookie season.

The Suns will be banking on his upside, and there are a few players such as Aaron Gordon or Tobias Harris who Peat could develop similarly to if it all works out for him.

As for now, the Suns will work to fit their young wings into the rotation, while Peat will likely look to find his footing and follow a developmental plan his rookie season that will be best for his long-term growth beginning at Summer League next month.

Add us as a preferred source on Google