Phoenix Suns second round draft grades

We’re back and we’re grading how the Suns did in Round 2.

Two days down, and the Phoenix Suns have wrapped their 2025 NBA Draft journey. The facts: they entered the second round with picks 52 and 59. They exited with picks 31 and 41, selecting Rasheer Fleming from Saint Joe’s and Koby Brea from Kentucky. One is a power forward with real defensive potential and shooting touch. The other? Quite possibly the best three-point shooter in the entire draft.

Now, just like we did after round one, we’re back with quick reactions and gut-check grades. Who did the Suns get? And how well did they do? Let’s dive in.

John Voita

Draft Night 2 Grade: B+

If I’m grading the second round purely on experience, it’s an easy A+.

Watching the Suns wheel and deal their way up the board, again and again, culminating in the first pick of the second round? It was electric. For the first time in a long time, it felt good to feel good about this team. They identified their guy and made the moves necessary to go get him. That’s conviction. That’s intent. And that’s exactly what this franchise has needed: a front office willing to make things happen.

As for Koby Brea, everything I’ve heard is glowing. Outside of his defense, rebounding, and the occasional concern about his athleticism and off-the-dribble game, the kid can flat-out shoot. He’s like the anti-Ryan Dunn. Can’t lock you down, but he’ll bury you from deep. Maybe he’s what Landry Shamet was supposed to be. Maybe he’s here to soften the potential exits of Grayson Allen or Royce O’Neale. Either way, it’s a solid pick at 41.

Would I have loved Tyrese Proctor there instead? Sure. That would’ve made it an A+ night for me. But the aggressiveness, the intentionality, the sense of purpose? That earns a B+ and a nod of respect. Brian Gregory said this team was finding its identity. It’s starting to show.

Holden Sherman

Draft Night 2 Grade: B+

The Suns were incredibly assertive tonight. They wanted to go out and make sure they got their guy, Rasheer Fleming, and they did. They conceded a lot of second rounders out of their limited stash to do so, but Fleming fills a position of need at the wing and hasthe potential to be a three-and-D guy.

With Brea’s shooting, he has the potential to be a strong player right away and someone who Devin Booker could benefit from playing off of. With the team so limited on assets, whenever they give up any it’s not ideal, but the Suns clearly had a plan and they executed, so for being less than a day removed from round two, they did their job well.

Ashton

Draft Night 2 Grade: C+

The amount of effort it took to get the final second round numbers pick numbers is mind-boggling, If there was a real winner tonight, it was Brian Gregory for playing chess and not checkers.

The strength of this grade is based on Rasheer Fleming, a power forward out of Saint Joseph’s, not to be confused with Saint John’s or any other hospital. Never heard of St Joe’s? They play in the Atlantic 10 and are based in the western side of Philly. They finished fifth in their conference and never saw the NCAA tournament this year If you want more regional dynamics, just go visit the city of Philadelphia itself. I never have, because frankly, I was too scared to get a cheesesteak when in the area. They boo Saint Nick for crying out loud! I hung out in west PA and in the Allegheny mountain range, which is a whole different dynamic.

Back to basketball and not cheesesteaks. Fleming fills the bill at the power forward need the Suns have to address in the frontcourt. He may be unheralded but I like the pick. The stats will tell the story regardless if he has shoes on or not at the combine.

What drags this grade down is the fact that the Suns selected a shooting guard (from Kentucky, no less), Koby Brea, instead of a point guard. Proctor was there ,and so were multiple others. I mean common! So, it begins anew. Which SG is leaving? It is not Book. Beal can throw two middle fingers up. It is not Green. So that leaves GA or RO. My guess is Grayson Allen.

Bruce Veliz

Draft Night 2 Grade: A-

Thoughts: Once again, I am fully invested in this Suns movement and what they are doing. If you thought the phones were busy yesterday, man, today was wild for the team. They made multiple moves, moving up and selling off future second-round picks alongside picks 52 and 59 to secure the 31st and 41st overall selections. They leapfrogged every team to secure the first selection and acquire Rasheer Fleming, who is a beast and another great fit. Not only are the Suns drafting for fit, but they are striking on the best available talent too, which is a win for all of us.

A team in the Celtics who wanted Fleming too, even ended up trading back once the Suns had taken him, so it just goes to show you with a great GM in Brad Stevens that he realized how great this pick was and was salivating at the mouth to land him. Unfortunately for him, Brian Gregory had the ammo and the drive to move up and select Fleming, someone most viewed as a first-round talent.

Later on they then ended up selecting guard Koby Brea out of Kentucky and I also love this pick. Now, the cries of “another scoring shooting guard” will echo, but we all do know the Suns are looking to move other roster pieces, so that is not the issue. Brea is another big-time shot maker and was the best three-point shooter in college basketball last season, not to mention being an alum from Kentucky and going to Phoenix is a perfect fit for him to learn underneath Devin Booker as well.

The Suns are doing what they stated at these press conferences before we got into the season. They are addressing the roster’s holes, focusing on athleticism and defense with youth, and I think that’s what makes us so satisfied, actually, for once hearing one thing and seeing it come together in front of our eyes.

Archie Frazer

Draft Night 2 Grade: A

The second night of the draft was certainly a fun one for Phoenix Suns fans. It all started earlier in the day, wheeling and dealing to move up as far as they could in the draft to increase the chance of drafting their primary target Rasheer Fleming. I’m okay with giving up numerous seconds to move up to #31 to draft Fleming. He was a position of need and in my eyes, the best player still available. Brian Gregory saw an opportunity and went for it, that’s the sort of conviction you want to see as a fan.

I like the move from an operational standpoint too, I would much rather trust the scouts and draft the guys the team are high on than be having to draft guys you’ve done less work on because you’re afraid to give up a few seconds.

Rasheer Fleming wasn’t the only guy they drafted in the second round, with Koby Brea arriving at #41 too. This is another move I really like. When you get to this stage in the draft you’re more likely to miss than you are to hit. I understand why you’re not drafting for fit at this stage, you need to be drafting a potential NBA player, not just filling in the gaps in your roster. I’d much rather get the best possible guys in and then leave it down to the GM to reshape the roster than leaving him with less assets to work with when we don’t even know what the roster will look like in a month.

Tyrese Proctor was a name thrown around as a potential Point Guard in the second round, but who’s to say we won’t already have 2/3 PGs on the roster this time next month? It’s unlikely you’re going to be able to draft a player who can secure a place in the rotation when you get to the final 20 picks in the second round, so if it’s just going to be a development-based rookie year, why bother about fit? This is why I like the Brea move, he was best player available once again (along with Maxime Reynaud but I can see why they wouldn’t want a third young Center).

This is why I have given our second round moves an A. I can fully get behind the thinking and the same could be said for the first round too. A brilliant start for the new-look backroom staff.

Damon Allred

Draft Grade: A-

Putting my grade for the whole thing since I missed the first exercise, it’s really hard to not love what Brian Gregory is cooking up in his first offseason. Sure, the return in the Kevin Durant trade was a bit lackluster, but the way he diced up trades to maneuver by using those picks and get his guy at the top of the second round has to be applauded.

With a clear emphasis on defense, length and shooting with the group, I whole-heartedly agreed with the first two picks. Khaman Maluach was simply too easy of a choice when he fell to No. 10, and Rasheer Fleming was one of my favorite prospects in the class. He only added to that with his bowling toss after the draft.

Since both picks were made, I’ve been drooling over what a frontcourt of Ryan Dunn, Fleming and Maluach could look like three years from now on the defensive end. Their length, strength and feel could be suffocating for offenses, especially as more physicality has been allowed in the NBA of late.

Then there was Koby Brea. I quite like him as a prospect, but those positive feelings were felt much more so when the Suns were picking 52nd and 59th. I’d never bash the reach, as I consider it, since he does have a proven skill that the NBA can’t get enough of with his shooting.

But at that spot, I would’ve rather seen Tyrese Proctor come off the board instead, giving Maluach a familiar face to go on this journey with. Not only were they Duke teammates as point guard and big, they were also teammates in the NBA Academy program when Duke coach Jon Scheyer first recruited Proctor.

The word is the Suns like Collin Gillespie though, and who would I be to fault them for that?

Brandon Duenas

Draft Grade: A

Adding Rasheer Fleming was a clear-cut win for the Suns. I could not think of a better fit than him to pair with Maluach that they could have realistically come out of this draft with. Especially when factoring in their assets.

Koby Brea is a “we will see” type of prospect that brings one bankable skill to the table: shooting. They will need a spacer, especially if they move Grayson Allen and Bradley Beal, so it makes sense to add a sniper to the second unit.

The Suns have moved with a purpose and rebuilt their identity in just a couple of days. A lot of work to be done, but they’re off to a great start.

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