LAS VEGAS — Some absences at the top of the pecking order allowed for others to thrive in the Phoenix Suns’ 98-80 loss to the Atlanta Hawks in summer league play on Sunday.
2024 second-round pick Oso Ighodaro filled up the box score with 18 points, nine rebounds, three assists, three steals and two blocks while 2025 second-round pick Koby Brea added 15 points and six rebounds.
Phoenix sat second-year forward Ryan Dunn and No. 10 overall pick Khaman Maluach to balance their minutes on the first game of a back-to-back, while the 31st selection Rasheer Fleming remained out due to right knee soreness. The Suns are hopeful Fleming will play at some point in Vegas.
It was particularly disappointing to not see Fleming on Sunday, as the game took place in COX Pavilion, which is the equivalent of a well-seated high school gym. It allows everyone in attendance to really see the athleticism pop, and that is the defining part of Fleming’s skill set that will make him unique to the Suns.
The Suns have three more games coming up, so there will still be an opportunity to see Fleming. Dunn and Maluach will presumably play in Monday night’s contest at 7 p.m. against the Sacramento Kings.
What did Suns’ second-round picks show vs. Hawks?
Ighodaro’s inclination to use his off-the-bounce game continued to shine. Even though the product is a mixed bag at times, he needs to keep getting into the teeth of the defense to expand his ball-handling into real use for the Suns in half-court situations. For a guy that hardly scored at the rim last year, he continued to seek out those opportunities.
OSO WITH THE LEFT 💥 pic.twitter.com/6E7kQNz2JW
— Phoenix Suns (@Suns) July 13, 2025
As always, there is room for improvement. He was looking for the kick-out passes a little too often instead of looking to score at the rim, but that should come with time.
“I think it’s a feel. Obviously, Oso got a high IQ and he knows how people are going to guard him,” Suns assistant coach DeMarre Carroll said. “It’s just repetition. Just keep going through it, and I think this summer league has been great for him to get that repetition.”
Brea earned rave reviews for the second straight game, this time in using the midrange to get his jumper off. Some benefitted from drop coverage with some easy enough looks to step into. Some were tough looks off the bounce.
A pair of big boy buckets from Koby Brea
6 points on 3-of-4 in Q2, this is a scorers prowess & mindset, not a shooters
The self creation when going left continues to have my eye — beats the late-switch on one, then the bump-fade in iso on the next… translatable skills pic.twitter.com/bOgbmN1I6p
— Stephen PridGeon-Garner 🏁 (@StephenPG3) July 13, 2025
“Just about reading the closeouts, attacking the closeout,” Brea said. “I know I got a midrange game so I can just get to that at any time and next step is just gonna be getting to the rim.”
For the sake of context with where Brea was selected and Suns fans that might be confused at how he was available at No. 41, that part of Brea’s offensive game becoming would be a big step forward. The aggression to score like that is one, and another is proving he can be a tough shot-maker from inside the 3-point line.
To see it, even in this setting, is encouraging.