Fleming’s elite finishing and defensive instincts make him a fascinating draft sleeper.
I hope you’ve been enjoying these daily prospect profiles I’ve been scouting and sharing, because I’ve genuinely enjoyed diving into this process. It’s the off-season, a quiet stretch when there’s not much to dissect about the Phoenix Suns in the here and now. But this is what I love about covering this team: exploring its possibilities, unraveling its complexities, and imagining what the future might hold.
That’s the beauty of the draft. It offers hope. And with the Suns holding no draft capital next year, it makes this moment, this opportunity, all the more important to seize.
So far, we’ve broken down two bigs, a wing, and a guard. Today, let’s turn our attention to another wing prospect projected to land right in the Suns’ draft range. The last wing we covered, Yaxel Lendeborg, appeared to be a polished, well-rounded talent, though how he measures up against NBA competition remains to be seen. The prospect we’ll spotlight today is a different story: not as athletic but a better three-point shooter and insanely long as a defender.
Rasheer Fleming, PF, St. Joseph’s
- Height: 6’9”
- Weight: 232 pounds
- Age: 20 years old
- Experience: Three years at St. Joseph’s
- 2024-25 Statistics: 14.7 points (53.1 FG%, 39.0 3PT%, 74.3 FT%), 8.5 rebounds, 1.3 assists, 1.5 blocks
Fleming is one of the younger prospects I’ve evaluated so far, set to turn 21 shortly after the draft. It remains to be seen whether his age will factor into Brian Gregory’s decision-making the way it often did during the James Jones era, a notable point considering how that front office weighed experience over upside.
What immediately stands out on film is his sheer length.
Though listed at 6’9”, it’s his 7’5” wingspan that jumps off the screen. That reach allows him to extend beyond defenders on drives to the rim with what feel like go-go-gadget arms. I’m curious how his finishing ability will hold up against the physicality of NBA contracts en route to the basket. Unlike Yaxel Lendeborg, Fleming isn’t an above-the-rim athlete. Despite his length, he struggles to consistently explode vertically, and how that translates at the next level will be a question mark.
Offensively, he’s made strides. Fleming has a quick-trigger jumper, and his 39% clip from beyond the arc last season — on 159 attempts, making up 45% of his shot diet — is a testament to that improvement. For context, he shot just 31.3% from deep over his first two seasons at St. Joe’s.
There’s a touch of Jalen Bridges in his offensive game, though at 232 pounds, Fleming brings a heavier, more physical frame than Bridges.
Defensively, he’s active in passing lanes and uses his length well to recover against smaller, quicker opponents. While his lateral quickness is average, but his reach allows him to contest and block shots effectively. He’s an instinctive shot blocker, though not a vertical standout. His standing vertical at the NBA Combine measured 27.0”, ranking 52nd out of 72 participants.
Fleming profiles as a high-upside, developmental wing, a potential project for a front office with a long-term vision and a commitment to player growth. Given Brian Gregory’s stated passion for development, this might be the kind of swing the Suns consider at their draft position.
No Ceilings’ Tyler Metcalf said this of Fleming this past January:
The second that Fleming stepped on the court for Saint Joseph’s, it was obvious that he had the size and athleticism to compete with NBA athletes. It also didn’t take long for him to prove that his rebounding on both ends of the floor and defensive playmaking was very real. Unfortunately, there would be long stretches where he struggled to impact the game and the questions with his offensive role continued to surmount. This year, though, Fleming has squashed those questions with fantastic performances on a nightly basis against myriad levels of competition.
Per Synergy, Fleming ranks in the 96th percentile in overall points per possession (PPP), the 88th percentile in transition, the 93rd percentile as the roll man, the 100th percentile on cuts, the 92nd percentile on all jumpers, the 82nd percentile shooting off the catch, and the 90th percentile scoring at the rim. That is bonkers levels of efficiency. If you look closely, there’s a common theme among all of those numbers and play/shot types. All of them are in a play-finishing role.
If you’re hoping that Fleming could be a sneaky contender for a point forward offensive initiator, I’d throw those expectations out the window. Never say never, I guess, but it would be one of the most outlier developmental stories as there aren’t any indications of that happening. As of writing this, Fleming hasn’t attempted a single jumper off the dribble, has run two total possessions as the pick-and-roll ball-handler that accounted for zero points, has run two total possessions in isolation that accounted for zero points, has a negative assist to turnover ratio, and is going on his third straight season with an assist rate under 10%. That’s a tough look. Also, I don’t care. Like at all. Not even a little bit.
As for the draft boards, at this point in time it appears he may not make it down to 29 for Phoenix.
- ESPN: 27th to the Brooklyn Nets
- Bleacher Report: 26th to the Brooklyn Nets
- NBA Draft.net: 13th to the Atlanta Hawks
- Yahoo! Sports: 25th to the Orlando Magic
- CBS Sports: 25th to the Orlando Magic
Fleming is a solid wing prospect, but if the Suns were to pass on him (or if he doesn’t happen to fall into their lap) it wouldn’t be a devastating loss. He looks like a player who can carve out a role on an NBA roster, though it may take a couple of years of refinement and development to reach that point. The foundation is there; it just needs time, reps, and the right environment to be shaped into something reliable.
The real question is whether the Suns are in a position to offer that. Do they have the patience, the minutes, and the long-term vision to invest in a developmental wing?
Much of that hinges on the franchise’s broader direction. Are they chasing immediate contention at all costs, or are they willing to invest in projects with the potential to pay off down the line? The answer to that may ultimately decide whether a prospect like Fleming finds his way to Phoenix.
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