Notes from the Suns’ Rookie Introductory Press Conference

The Phoenix Suns introduced rookies Khaman Maluach, Rasheer Fleming, and Koby Brea today.

The Phoenix Suns introduced their newest rookie class today at 3 pm local time, streamed live on YouTube, linked below. The rooks seemed to be… aligned.

The energy was high, and the primary focus was on the rookies, not on anything team-related or about the KD/Beal situations, which he will hit on later tonight in a separate availability after summer league practice.

Maluach kicked it off by clapping for himself and each of his new teammates when they were introduced by GM Brian Gregory.

He is going to quickly become a fan favorite with how wholesome, humble, and most importantly, how hungry he is. You can tell he’s excited to be a pro and wants to be great. His answers checked all the boxes of the “what you want to hear”.

Brian Gregory introduced the trio with the following notes:

Khaman Maluach: “High-level, high-energy player. Tremendous on both ends of the floor offensively and defensively. His energy and enthusiasm that he plays with drew him to us the most. He brings it every single day.”

Rasheer Fleming: “He fights every day, and we know he’s tough. When you think of the NBA today, you think of players who are long and athletic and can shoot the ball and affect the game defensively, and that’s exactly what Rasheer is going to do.”

Koby Brea: “Point Blank has been the best three-point shooter in college basketball the last three years. In addition to that, he has a high basketball IQ and a tremendous work ethic.”

Khaman Maluach kicked it off, stating, “I’m so excited and happy to be here. I’m ready to get to work.”

Brian Gregory on the 10th pick: “Khaman was number one on our list (for the 10th pick), and we were hoping he’d be there. When we saw numbers 8 and 9 go, there was an explosion in the draft room.”

Duane Rankin asked the rooks what they were looking to get out of the mini-camp ahead of the Summer League. Here are their condensed, summed-up responses:

Koby Brea: “The mindset of wanting to get better every single day. It’s a long process, but trying to take it day by day and continue to grow and show the guys they can trust me.”

Rasheer Fleming: “Being consistent and being an ‘everyday guy’ and bringing the energy.”

Khaman Maluach: “Learning how to be a pro. learning how to take care of your body, navigate through everything, stay available throughout the season, and stay disciplined.

Gregory, when asked about his impression of this group, said, “We were already excited, but one practice in, we are even more excited than we were initially.”

Brea and Fleming have played each other before and grew up in the same area. Brea mentioned they both attended the Damian Lillard camp last year, and that was the first time they got to really talk to each other and get to know each other.

More importantly, Maluach said he enjoys mini golf, and he picked number 10 because he was the tenth pick. Fleming said there was no inspiration for it (his jersey number); he just thought it “looked good”. Brea had worn 14 before, and since he was the 41st pick it was 41 backwards. Had to throw this in there for all you number-obsessed folks.

The vibes were positive overall, and the youthful injection of energy and passion is needed in the desert.

Suns fans should be excited to see how these guys mesh with sophomores Ryan Dunn and Oso Ighodaro to help reshape the culture and identity of this new era of Suns basketball.