Shooting concerns didn't scare Suns from moving up to grab Arizona's Koa Peat

“And Koa was at the top of that list,” Gregory said.

But turned out the Suns only needed the No. 30 pick to nab Koa Peat.

The Phoenix-area native known as Mr. Arizona, for his four high school championships at Gilbert Perry and his role in getting Arizona to the Final Four last season, was slipping.

The date of May 11 might have had something to do with it. During NBA Combine drills and measurements that day, Peat impressed athletically, with a 37.5-inch maximum vertical leap and 3.16 second-three-quarter court sprint, but struggled in shooting drills.

Peat shot 50% off the dribble but only 28.0% in the 3-point star drill and finished last in spot-up shooting at 24.0%. Moreover, he demonstrated an altered shooting form that drew negative reviews and question marks.

His performance drew speculation that he could drop to the lower end of the first round or maybe even into the second — and that Peat might even return to Arizona, where he took just 20 3s last season and hit seven of them for a 35.0% rate.

“Obviously, that was a topic,” Gregory said of Peat's shooting during a postdraft media interview. “I think he’s a guy that’s going to develop into a very good shooter. He didn’t shoot a ton of 3s (at Arizona) and it’s just something that as a 19-year-old, with the work he’s going to put in, being a tireless worker wanting to get better, that the shooting piece is going to come.”

It was a topic UA coach Tommy Lloyd heard a lot about, too, even as much as he has indicated consistent support for Peat, his character and his winning pedigree. Peat not only played for Lloyd on UA’s Final Four team but also on the USA Basketball team that won gold last summer in the FIBA U19 World Cup.

“I’ve talked to a lot of people about it,” Lloyd said. “Koa has made big progress on that this year, and I think sometimes you get in this draft process and maybe you feel like you have to show things that aren’t your strength, and prove to people you can do certain things, and maybe that’s not the case.

"But I’ve talked to Phoenix about Koa as a player and they value Koa for all the things that he does. I think if you’re doing this draft on impacting winning — and that’s where I’d like to start — Koa to me is a guy who’s a top-10 type pick, definitely lottery-type impact. So I’m glad the Suns saw those things in him. Those are the things we saw.”

During his postdraft news conference, Gregory rattled off a list of Peat’s accomplishments almost in press release fashion: The four state championships at Perry, four gold medals with USA Basketball, the 36 wins he helped UA get last season, and being named the Most Outstanding Player in the West Regional.

Et cetera.

“I can go on and on,” Gregory said. “But the most important thing is when we look at what we constantly draft and bring into our organization, Koa Peat has all of it.”

Still, other NBA teams may not have felt the same way. Peat slipped on draft night, nearly out of the first round despite holding a hopeful gathering with friends and family.

He had to watch 29 guys get picked before him.

Normally much more expressive on the court than he is at press conferences, Peat this time opened up a little about that experience.

“It was tough,” Peat said. “Obviously, as a competitor, you see other guys that you think you're better than getting drafted ahead of you.

"But for me, I think the fit and situation is better than the pick. You know, the picks are out of the window now. You're going to the summer league, and those picks don't even matter — first pick, second pick, third pick, they really don't matter. You’ve got to compete against those guys every day.”

When it did arrive finally at No. 30, the pick also meant Peat had a chance to stay in Arizona, to play in front of his family, which was regularly represented in the McKale Center northeast stands for the Wildcats' games last season.

For that, Peat expressed gratefulness, saying he’s been watching the Suns since they drafted star guard Devin Booker — when Peat was just 10 years old.

“I remember the (2021) finals when you guys played the Bucks. I mean, we played the Bucks,” Peat said, correcting himself and drawing a chuckle from Gregory.

“I remember those days. Seeing them compete and seeing them win, seeing the crowd and how they were involved, it’s super special. It’s a special place to be.”

For Mr. Arizona, it's home.