Kembali
PHOENIX — The Phoenix Suns will be without forward Rasheer Fleming tonight against the Portland Trail Blazers.
Fleming, initially listed as questionable with a left ankle sprain, was downgraded this afternoon by the team. He joins Mark Williams as out while Jordan Goodwin is questionable.
The Suns are hoping to stop a three-game losing streak as Portland visits tonight. Phoenix begins a seven-game homestand against the Trail Blazers, who previously defeated the Suns 124-83 in the regular season opener.
Suns-Blazers is set for a 7:00 pm MST tip.
Fleming showed great promise in his rookie season, though his minutes were sparse. After an impressive Summer League showing, hopes were high for the sophomore forward entering the 2026-27 season.
However, Fleming has been a bystander in the Suns' initial rotation. He's played in just two games with 7.5 minutes averaged, as names such as Dillon Brooks and Miles Bridges are firmly entrenched as starters while Ryan Dunn and sometimes Goodwin will get run on the wings in relief minutes.
“What excites me is we don’t know where that ceiling is," Suns coach Jordan Ott said of Fleming during the team's Media Day. "I think he continues to raise the floor by his work, his care, his understanding of who he is as a player. He has no idea where his ceiling is, nor do we.”
Fleming, at least for now, has been a bit of a dissapointment in terms of usage in Phoenix.
“He has physical gifts that you cannot teach. He has tremendous instincts that at times you just shake your head…how did he get to that? And now he’s starting to feel it, and that feeling of ‘I belong, I can do this.’”
The athletic forward showed promise thanks to his length and ability to contribute on both sides of the floor, though it seems the Suns want to see more development on his end before awarding Fleming serious minutes.
Now, Fleming must also work through some health issues on his journey to earning playing time.