Phoenix Suns drop to 1-1 in NBA Summer League play after Sunday's loss to Atlanta Hawks in Las Vegas.
LAS VEGAS — Khaman Maluach or Ryan Dunn — by design — and Rasheer Fleming still haven’t made their NBA Summer League debut yet to leave the Phoenix Suns shorthanded.
It showed in Sunday’s 98-80 loss on Sunday, July 13, to the Atlanta Hawks at Cox Pavilion.
Suns summer league head coach DeMarre Carroll said after Sunday's game they went into the schedule looking to avoid playing Dunn and Maluach in back-to-back games.
Phoenix faces the Sacramento Kings on Monday, July 14, at 7 p.m. at Cox Pavilion. When asked if Dunn and Maluach will play Monday, a smiling Carroll said, “We’ll have to see.”
For the record, the top overall pick in the 2025 draft, Cooper Flagg, has already played two games for the Dallas Mavericks, logging a total of 63 minutes.
Khaman Maluach and Ryan Dunn OUT with 2nd of back-to-back tomorrow coming.
— Duane Rankin (@DuaneRankin) July 13, 2025
Rasheer Fleming (right knee soreness) OUT. #Sunspic.twitter.com/S7NAjdQbnV
The Mavs reportedly are shutting down Flagg the remainder of summer league
Fleming missed a second straight game for Phoenix with right knee soreness.
Oso Ighodaro scored a game-high 18 points Sunday on 8-of-12 shooting and racked up nine rebounds, three steals and two blocks. Second-round pick Koby Brea added 15 points, Yuri Collins went for 12 and Moses Wood chipped in 10.
The Suns trailed by as many as 22 points in dropping to 1-1 in summer league play. Phoenix won its opener, 103-84, Friday against the Washington Wizards at Thomas & Mack Center.
Here are five takeaways from Sunday’s loss in which Phoenix shot 39.2% from the field.
"We premediated that back in Phoenix. Just trying stick to the schedule. We really didn't want those guys in back-to-backs."
— Duane Rankin (@DuaneRankin) July 13, 2025
DeMarre Carroll on Khaman Maluach and Ryan Dunn sitting Sunday's loss vs. Hawks.
On if they'll play Monday: "We'll have to see."
On Rasheer Fleming… pic.twitter.com/euLj2gz9M1
Fleming update
Carroll said Fleming, a second-round pick out of Saint Joseph's, is “trending” in the right direction in looking to return from right knee soreness.
“Rasheer is doing well,” Carroll said. “He got a lot of contact (Saturday). He's moving in the right direction.”
Fleming got in a workout Sunday before the game. The Suns are remaining cautious with him as Fleming is someone who could see some minutes to start the 2025-26 season.
He’s athletic, can score inside and outside, shoot the 3 and effectively guard on switches.
If Fleming doesn’t see the court Monday, but is able to go Wednesday against Minnesota, Phoenix’s best bet may be to play the 6-8 forward limited minutes against the Timberwolves and have him sit the fifth and final game, which is yet to be determined.
Ighodaro to the rim
Ighodaro has shown in each of Phoenix’s two games the ability to put the ball on the floor past the defender and finish with authority over the top.
This is without a threat of a jump shot. His form on free throws looks better than last season, but he still looks to get to the floater or jump hook.
Again, at 6-11 (listed) and 227 pounds, Ighodaro has a four-man body. The added weight, which includes 12 pounds of muscle, has boosted Ighodaro’s confidence to battle inside.
The Suns are loaded at the center position with 7-footers Mark Williams, Nick Richards and Maluach. Seeing Oklahoma City win a title with Chet Holmgren and Isaiah Hartenstein may really start a trend to play two bigs at once.
Ighodaro could be that four man to play with Williams or Maluach.
Phoenix Suns big Oso Ighodaro pregame. #Sunspic.twitter.com/iJzujr9Kyz
— Duane Rankin (@DuaneRankin) July 13, 2025
Brea faces tighter, more physical defense
The Hawks didn’t need to look any further than Friday’s Suns-Wizards box score to see that Brea can shoot the 3.
The second-round pick out of Kentucky went 4-of-5 from deep against Washington, hitting repeated catch-and-shoot looks.
Koby Brea jumper.
— Duane Rankin (@DuaneRankin) July 13, 2025
Suns down 30-17 to Hawks after one. #Suns#NBA2KSummerLeaguepic.twitter.com/w0NQucEv4u
Atlanta wasn’t having that Sunday.
The Hawks stayed in his face, put hands on him when he did catch it and ran him off the 3-point line. Brea still shot 2-of-5 from 3, but he put the ball on the floor and hit midrange shots off the bounce.
This is with a damaged left thumb. Brea said he hurt it when reaching in defensively in the first quarter, as the Suns taped it up later in the first half.
Shooters shoot, but Brea gave up some drives on defense. Got to tighten up on that end.
Offensive sets
Suns head coach Jordan Ott had to love seeing this.
Collins caught the Hawks sleeping on defense, cut baseline and scored off an Ighodaro pass late in the first half.
Jordan Ott X Mark Williams = courtside conversation. #Suns#NBA2KSummerLeaguepic.twitter.com/4c5ZoFSPeF
— Duane Rankin (@DuaneRankin) July 13, 2025
The Cleveland Cavaliers ran their share of baseline cuts last season with Ott as an assistant coach under 2024-25 NBA Coach of the Year, Kenny Atkinson.
The Suns have worked on this in shootaround and practices. See how many more times the Suns get to that action for the remainder of the summer league.
10 rejections
The Suns ended the game with 10 blocks as Wood accounted for half of them.
Wood is athletic. He’s got some bounce, but his blocks most came on hustle plays.
The 6-8 forward was a training camp invite and played for Phoenix’s G League team, the Valley Suns, in their inaugural season.
Can’t see Wood suiting up for the Phoenix Suns, but they should be better at protecting the rim this season considering the size they've added.
Phoenix finished 16th in NBA in blocked shots last season with 4.8 a game.
Have opinions about the current state of the Suns? Reach Suns Insider Duane Rankin at [email protected] or contact him at 480-810-5518. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter, at @DuaneRankin.
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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Suns sit Dunn, Maluach by design, 5 takeaways from loss to Hawks
Category: Basketball
