Phoenix Suns rookie Koa Peat has only known winning basketball from his days with Gilbert Perry High School (four state titles), Team USA in international competition (four gold medals) and the Arizona Wildcats (Final Four appearance).
The 6-foot-8 forward isn’t letting this proven track record slip from being his mentality ahead of his first NBA Summer League, even if the contests don’t count.
“I’ve won my whole life, so I’m just trying to win and just help my team win,” Peat told Arizona Sports’ Burns & Gambo Thursday from Las Vegas. “And then obviously get better every day, learn from the guys, learn from my mistakes, learn from the coaches and just keep getting better as a basketball player and an individual and a teammate.”
Peat’s pedigree was a major reason why Phoenix’s brass decided to move up into the NBA Draft’s first round to get him, and the 19-year-old hasn’t strayed away from emphasizing that same defining characteristic.
Peat told reporters he wants to lead the Summer League in offensive rebounding, an aspect of his game that Arizona head coach Tommy Lloyd stressed during Peat’s one-and-done college campaign.
Does he have any other specific goals? You might guess it.
“Yeah, just to win as many games as we can,” Peat said.
With the franchise bringing in similar-sized Miles Bridges (6-foot-7) from the Charlotte Hornets and having second-year pros Khaman Maluach and Rasheer Fleming in need of development, Peat’s time on the court this upcoming season remains to be seen.
When he is on the hardwood, however, Peat said it will be special to play alongside one of his childhood idols, Devin Booker.
“Obviously, he’s a legend, he’s one of the best players in the league,” Peat said. “Just seeing him the other day working out, it’s just effortless, his game, and I think it would definitely make my game easier just playing with a special player like that.”
The Suns match up against the Portland Trail Blazers on Friday at 8 p.m. MST in their first of a guaranteed four Summer League games (possibly more if they advance in the mini tournament).
Koa Peat: Brayden Burries, Bucks matchup to be ‘just business’
Phoenix will face the Milwaukee Bucks in its third Summer League game on Monday, matching Peat up against former Arizona teammate Brayden Burries for the first time on an NBA court.
But for Peat, he doesn’t expect the meeting to evoke any weird feelings, even when the two hardly played against each other in scrimmages last season.
“Probably (just going to be) all business. We’re both competitors. I don’t really talk that much trash unless someone talks to me, so we’ll have to see what happens. But not trying to make it bigger than the game, just playing basketball at the end of the day, trying to help my team win.”
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