LAS VEGAS – Koa Peat didn’t mince words when asked about motivation for his rookie season. For the 30th overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft, motivation will be found on the rosters of the 22 teams that picked ahead of the Suns — with seven of those teams making multiple selections.
“I’m waking up every day thinking about the 29 guys that got picked ahead of me,” Peat said. “I’m gonna kill everybody in front of me.”
Fortunately, for Peat’s former teammate Brayden Burries, he’s not on that list.
“He’s my dog,” Peat said. “A top 10 player.”
For the first time since leading Arizona to its first Final Four appearance since 2001, Peat and Burries took the court as opponents rather than teammates when Peat’s Suns defeated Burries’ Milwaukee Bucks, 95-88, in NBA Summer League action on Monday at Cox Pavilion.
Both 2026 first-round picks delivered. Burries led all scorers with 23 points on 8-of-14 shooting, while Peat finished with 19 points on 8-of-15 shooting.
Both players were in double figures by halftime in a matchup that offered an early look at two of six Wildcats drafted in the first round in Arizona coach Tommy Lloyd’s era.
Burries went 10th overall to Milwaukee in the NBA Draft in June, while Peat was the last pick of the first round. Peat’s road to Phoenix included a trade involving the New York Knicks and Dallas Mavericks on draft night.
For Burries, the transition from college to the Summer League has been smoother than expected, something for which he credited Lloyd and the caliber of Big 12 basketball.
“Arizona did a great job helping me get to where I’m at right now,” Burries said. “It hasn’t been too much of an adjustment so far – from the physicality, from how fast we’re playing. Being at Arizona and in the Big 12 kind of helped me a lot to get here.”
Facing a former teammate carried great significance, even if the two did not talk much beforehand, beyond a text checking whether they would be in the lineup.
“Not a lot of schools can say they had two first-round picks in the same draft,” Burries said. “The first time playing against each other was kind of surreal. From college to now, it felt like practice, honestly, just playing against him.”
Peat downplayed any added intensity from facing his All-American teammate, focusing on the scoreboard rather than the matchup.
“I didn’t think he was going to play back-to-back like that,” Peat said of Burries, who scored 26 points on 9-of-16 shooting the day before against the Spurs. “It was cool to play against him.”
In Peat’s first few games with the Suns, he said he’s letting opportunities come to him.
“I’m not out there forcing anything,” Peat said. “Just scoring when I get my opportunities, but also finding my teammates. That’s what I love to do, find my teammates a good spot and help them be better.”
Peat is aware of the pre-draft questions about his outside shooting, but he said he simply reads what the defense gives him.
“If the paint’s open, I’m going to go drive and get my teammates involved,” Peat said. “If I’m open for a shot, I’m going to shoot it. I don’t really look at too much of the narratives.”
Suns Summer League coach Chaisson Allen has seen that mentality translate directly to the floor, particularly in how Peat’s size and physicality have shown up against professional-level players.
“His level of physicality translates immediately,” Allen said. “Guys feel his presence on the court.”
Allen said that adjusting to the pace of professional basketball has been a critical part of Peat’s development, especially with the skillset and physical tools he has.
“It’s huge for us and him to feel the pacing and be able to use his size,” Allen said.
Both players downplayed any extra motivation heading into the game, with Peat mentioning his carefree attitude during games. Both players said they are focused on the steps needed to get better and prepare for the upcoming season.
Monday’s meeting marked the only scheduled matchup between the two former Wildcats. With the Bucks winless (0-3) and Phoenix 2-1, it is highly unlikely that they will face each other again this summer.
Teams are initially guaranteed four preliminary Summer League games, which are scheduled in advance. After those games, the schedule for the remaining matchups is determined by team performance.
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