Game Preview: Summer League opens with a big test for Khaman Maluach

Who: Summer Suns vs. Summer Trail Blazers

When: 8:00pm Arizona Time

Where: Cox Pavilion, Las Vegas, Nevada

Watch: Arizona Family Sports, ESPNU

Knock, knock.
Who’s there?
Summer.
Summer who?
Summer Suns basketball baby!!!!!!

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That’s right. It’s time to watch some Phoenix Suns basketball! It’s time to see purple and orange back on the court! For an organization with so much youth pushing to the front of the line, that makes Summer League feel different. It feels exciting. It feels worth paying attention to.

I think back a few years, when the only thing we really had to latch onto was Jalen Smith. He gave us something to cheer for. He earned All Summer League First Team honors in 2021, and that was enough to keep us watching. Then they paired him with Jaleen Smith, which always felt like someone in the Suns’ front office was running an elaborate practical joke on the fan base.

This year carries real intrigue.

Khaman Maluach is taking the floor after being selected as the tenth overall pick a year ago. Koa Peat is making his professional debut. Rasheer Fleming is slated to be a part of the Suns’ rotation this season. Koby Brea is ready to let it fly every time daylight appears. While the NBA roster is built to compete today, the franchise’s future checks into the game tonight in Las Vegas. These are the players we want to watch. These are the players who need every possession they can get.

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Summer League has always been its own strange little carnival. I watched number one overall pick AJ Dybantsa last night turn into a one-man scoring expedition on his way to 27 points last night. Chemistry comes and goes. Offensive flow disappears without warning. Everybody wants to prove they belong, and sometimes that means the ball sticks like it owes somebody money.

The hope with Phoenix is that you see the fingerprints of the organization. A strong system leaves clues as roles become recognizable. The ball finds the open man. Defensive rotations happen instinctively, not in panic. Three of these players are expected to spend most of the season with the Suns. Another will be filling it up in the…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/game-preview-summer-league-opens-190000133.html

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Publish date : 2026-07-10 19:00:00

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