Suns to shut down Khaman Maluach, Koa Peat, Rasheer Fleming from Summer League
The news comes after all three players played in their fourth NBA Summer League game on Wednesday against the Pistons.
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The Phoenix Suns will shut down center Khaman Maluach, forward Rasheer Fleming and rookie forward Koa Peat for the rest of the NBA Summer League, Arizona Sports’ John Gambadoro reported Thursday.
The news comes after all three players played in their fourth Summer League game Wednesday in a 100-88 win against the Detroit Pistons. Maluach led the Suns with 23 points and 15 rebounds, his fourth double-double of the Summer League.
Fleming and Peat complemented Maluach perfectly with strong games for themselves. The second-year pro scored 22 points (on 8-of-12 shooting) and grabbed eight rebounds, and the rookie scored 19 points with three rebounds and three assists.
NBA Summer League standings
- Los Angeles Lakers (3-0)
- Atlanta Hawks (3-0)
- San Antonio Spurs (3-1)
- Phoenix Suns (3-1)
- Boston Celtics (3-1)
- Orlando Magic (3-1)
- Brooklyn Nets (2-1)
- Houston Rockets (2-1)
- Golden State Warriors (2-1)
- Memphis Grizzlies (2-1)
- Denver Nuggets (2-1)
- Toronto Raptors (2-1)
The Lakers and Hawks sit on top at 3-0. The Suns are tied for third with the San Antonio Spurs, Boston Celtics and Orlando Magic in the Summer League. The top four teams advance to the semifinals Saturday, with the championship game Sunday.
Those top four seeds are determined by win percentage and point differential. The Suns currently sit fourth overall with a plus-3.8 point differential, and six teams are 2-1 with one game still to play.
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Comments
12 Comments
At the cost of a patella? Achilles? An ACL? Summer League is more meaningless than preseason NFL games. Championship? I bet you still have your T-ball trophy on the mantle, or the "Best 10 yr old Swimmer" plaque from summer camp...
Only a dumb GM like Brian Gregory would prevent this team from having a shot to win a championship! Shame on HIM! Let them have a chance to be a winner! It will carry on to their future in the NBA!
It’s not any different than the teams that drafted Dybantsa and Peterson, or Flagg last year. Some teams risk it (like you’re suggesting … I think MEM is not planning to shut down Boozer), and some don’t. From a fans point of view, of course it’s fun and encouraging to watch good performances from the Suns’ top 3 young players, even in Summer League (plus it’s still better than mind-numbing baseball), but it is what it is. But hey, look at it this way — Brea will have an opportunity to shine if the Suns make the semifinals.
As for Gregory, he’s not a dumb GM at all. TONS better than his idiot predecessor, James Jones.