Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across the NBA. Throughout the year we ask questions of the most plugged-in Suns fans and fans across the country. Sign up here to participate in the weekly emailed surveys.
The draft is done. Free agency is pretty much done, at least for the Phoenix Suns. So the next mile marker on the calendar arrives this Friday at 8 p.m., when the Suns’ Summer League team makes its debut in Las Vegas against the Portland Trail Blazers.
There are numerous storylines
to follow, especially for an organization that has emphasized development and moved up in recent drafts to acquire prospects it believes in. Summer League matters to this organization, even if we have to temper expectations and avoid overreacting to the results. That’s easier said than done.
Personally, I don’t put too much stock into Summer League. But with nothing else happening in the basketball world, we tend to place a little more weight on it than we probably should. That being said, the Phoenix Suns have several second-year players participating in Summer League, and expectations for them will naturally be higher this time around.
Khaman Maluach was taken 10th overall in last summer’s draft and quite possibly could be the last lottery pick the Phoenix Suns make for quite some time. He is still only 19, not turning 20 until September 14, and we know it typically takes big men longer to develop at the NBA level. That being said, the expectation is that we see progress. Sharper decision-making, better basketball IQ, and an improved understanding of how to utilize his unbelievably long frame to be effective on the basketball court.
Rasheer Fleming might have been a second-round pick, but he was selected 31st overall last summer and was the rookie who appeared to pop a little more as the season progressed. So what does he look like during his second summer in Las Vegas? It’s been reported that he has added muscle, so how does he carry that extra weight as he moves around the court? What does his three-point shot look like? Does he attack the interior with more ferocity and frequency?
Lastly, there is Koby Brea, who returns on a two-way contract after being selected 41st overall last summer. He’s another player the Suns moved up to target and acquire, and while there still isn’t room for him on the big league roster, what does his progression look like? How crisp is his three-point shot, and how often is he taking it during Summer League? More importantly, how effective is he in other aspects of his game?
There are plenty of storylines to monitor with the Suns’ sophomore class, and that is the subject of this week’s Suns Reacts poll.
Who do you need to see the most improvement from this year in Las Vegas, and what is driving that need for improvement? Is it about seeing progress from one summer to the next and building upon what we saw at the end of last season? Or is it about showing improvement toward what could ultimately be that player’s ceiling? Please take the time to vote in the poll, then let us know in the comments below why you voted the way you did.
