NBA Draft grades: Suns receive top marks after trading up for Rasheer Fleming, Koby Brea
How did NBA analysts grade the second round of the Phoenix Suns' 2025 NBA Draft class? A closer look from around the association.
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The Phoenix Suns made three separate trades on Thursday to move up in the second round of the NBA Draft, helping them land St. Joe’s forward Rasheer Fleming, a top-20 player on their big board, and Koby Brea out of Kentucky.
But how did NBA analysts grade the second round of the Phoenix Suns’ class?
Here is a closer look from around the association:
NBA Draft grades for the Phoenix Suns drafting Rasheer Fleming, Koby Brea
ESPN’s Kevin Pelton: B (for the first and second round)
Active in the second round, Phoenix used future picks to move up to the top pick and No. 41. Teams were competing to take Saint Joseph’s forward Rasheer Fleming, 12th in my stats-only projections. Fleming gives the Suns another quality shot blocker, this time with more range. Though Brea is yet another shooting guard on a team overloaded with them, Phoenix could use his shooting — he has the highest skill projection as a shooter of any player in my database — particularly if Grayson Allen gets traded elsewhere.
Yahoo! Sports’ Kevin O’Connor: A- for Fleming, A for Brea
Fleming is a hustler who drains spot-up jumpers and brings energy on defense, swatting shots and snagging boards. But he has some real warts as a ball-handler with a lack of experience against high-level competition. This matters less for the Suns, since he’ll play in a role in which he just needs to do the simple stuff as a floor spacer rather than worry about shot creation.
Wow, maybe Brian Gregory and Mat Ishbia know how to draft! Khaman Maluach, Rasheer Fleming,and now Brea all received A grades. Brea drilled 43.4% of his 3s over five college seasons on 4.9 attempts per game; he projects as a shooting specialist who has a clear path to becoming a rotation player because of his highly sought after skill. In order to avoid being a weak link on defense, he’ll need to make improvements to his athleticism, but his shooting is enough to keep him on the floor.
CBS Sports’ Adam Finkenstein and Kyle Boone: A- for Fleming, C for Brea
Fleming was the highest-rated player on my board entering the second round and Phoenix smartly made a trade with Minnesota to acquire this pick and by extension the right to Fleming. He’s a 6-foot-9 forward with a 7-foot-5 wingspan who shot 39% on 3s last season and should be a tremendous addition to the Suns’ frontcourt.
I like Koby Brea as a prospect — he’s one of the draft’s best shooters and was a 96th percentile shooter in catch-and-shoot opportunities last season at Kentucky — but No. 41 overall is about 15 spots higher than I’d have taken him. There’s some real questions about what value he can add outside of his shooting and I’m skeptical he can hold up defensively given his athletic limitations.
Bleacher Report’s Andy Bailey: B+ for Fleming, B for Brea
Fleming does everything you want a rim-running big to do, but he’s also a legitimate long-range shooting threat (39 percent this past season) with a pinch of straight-line driving and flashes of defending in space.
If he can’t serve as a 5, then his skill set looks rather rudimentary for a modern wing. He isn’t a shot-creator, can be a step slow with his off-ball reads and won’t overpower opponents like he did in the A-10.
Is this the right range for a specialist? Because Brea doesn’t really project to be anything more. His perimeter shot is sweet, but it’s kind of all he has to offer.
If you’re going to pick a specialty for the modern NBA, though, this is the area to master, and Brea may well have done that. He fired up 730 long-range looks across his five-year college career and connected on an absurd 43.4 percent of them.
Fansided’s Christopher Kline: A- for Fleming, A- for Brea
Phoenix aggressively maneuvered up the board to acquire the first pick in the second round. That lands them Rasheer Fleming of St. Joe’s, an athletic 3-and-D forward with a gaping 7-foot-5 wingspan and incredible lateral agility. Between him and Khaman Maluach, Phoenix has substantially improved its defensive foundation.
Phoenix is starved for depth right now. Koby Brea feels like a potential day-one contributor. He was arguably the best shooter in college basketball last season. It’s unclear if Brea’s athleticism will hold up defensively in the NBA, but Brea will bomb 3s with unfettered confidence and render strong off-ball decisions offensively.
USA Today Sports’ James H. Williams, Cydney Henderson, Lorenzo Reyes, Jeff Zillgitt: A- for Fleming, B- for Brea
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Comments
13 Comments
Outstanding draft by the Phoenix Suns. If these players' games translate well to the next level and they assimilate to living the life of pro basketball then they've got 2 high level starters and a key reserve for the next 4-5 years.
1. The 18 year old rim protecting center out of Duke has tantalizing potential. Think about it......he just started playing basketball 5 short years ago and his ascendency is such that he was given a full ride scholarship to one of the 2 or 3 best college basketball programs in America. Amazing accomplishment and it speaks to his hunger, desire to grow/improve AND his natural talent. The question is..........what is his specific motivation and does he want to be GREAT?
2. Rasheer Fleming- I am always reluctant to make any sort of prediction about how an NBA draft pick turns out because there are so many variables that come into play. Having said that........... this kid Fleming has the dynamic game, passion and hustle to really be a fan favorite along the lines of some of the great Suns of yesteryear. He can become a beloved figure along the lines of a Shawn Marion.
3. Koby Brea- He's a better and more consistent 3 point shooter than Cam Johnson was coming into the League and that is scary. He has to fight to get playing time and he has to use his smarts to avoid being a defensive liability BUT he will be the 2nd best 3pt shooter on the Suns as soon as he walks onto the court and that's invaluable since the best 3pt shooter on the Suns was one of the best 3pt shooters in all of the NBA in Grayson Allen.
All three of these draft picks are ultra competitive and that should bode very well for them going forward.
Brea seems redundant, not only as a 2 but with Allen and Lee as shooters, not seeing the need for a 5th guard who only shoots... unless Grayson is on the way out. Keep Neal for some D... Same as Williams, get having him around for a year to let the pup develop, but he's only played 43% of all games in his career. Why give up two 1sts for what appears to be a broken rental player for a year?
The good draft was marred by a stupid trade. I like the center and PF picks. Mark Williams was a waste of valuable picks. Koby Brea another Jimmer Fredette and won’t be in the NBA long.