After helping lead the Arizona Wildcats to their first Final Four appearance in 25 years, freshmen phenoms Brayden Burries and Koa Peat have begun the next step in their basketball careers – hearing their names called in the NBA Draft and playing professional basketball. The Milwaukee Bucks selected Burries with the 10th overall pick, while the Phoenix Suns traded up with the Dallas Mavericks to draft Koa Peat with the 30th and final pick in the first round on Tuesday night. As the two shift their attention to the NBA, here’s a look at some player comparisons and team fits for Brayden Burries and Koa Peat.
Brayden Burries – No. 10 Milwaukee Bucks
Team Fit
Throughout most of the pre-draft process, the consensus was that Brayden Burries would not last longer than the 11th pick, which is exactly where he was taken with the 10th overall pick by the Milwaukee Bucks. Things are going to look very different in Cream City now that two-time MVP and 2021 NBA Champion Giannis Antetokounmpo is heading to the Miami Heat, which should provide Burries plenty of opportunities to make his presence felt immediately. The Bucks backcourt now features Tyler Herro, Kasparas Jakucionis, and Kevin Porter Jr.
Given Burries’ ability to score at all three levels – he averaged 16.1 points while shooting 49.1 percent from the field, including 39.1 percent from 3-point range – there is no reason Burries can’t insert himself into the starting rotation or be one of the first options off the bench for head coach Taylor Jenkins.
Player Comp
Given Burries’ scoring ability, toughness, and sneaky good play on defense, he reminds us a lot of Dylan Harper of the San Antonio Spurs. Harper, the second overall pick in last year’s draft, was a big part of the reason the Spurs were able to knock off the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder and advance to the NBA Finals this season. Burries and Harper are both strong and physical enough to get downhill to the basket and are both gifted enough shooters to knock down shots in the 16-18-foot range.
Harper averaged 11.8 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 3.9 assists per game last season, while shooting 50.5 percent from the field and 34.1 percent from downtown – numbers that aren’t that different from what Burries put up in his lone season in Tucson.
If Burries does in fact come off the bench, Harper’s 2025-26 film should serve as a good benchmark for the role and upside he can have in his first season in Milwaukee.
Koa Peat – No. 30 Phoenix Suns
Team Fit
The Phoenix Suns may have gotten the steal of the draft in Koa Peat at No. 30. While he didn’t do himself any favors in the pre-draft process, no one expected him to fall as far as he did. And the local ties make it that much neater of a story. Peat has spent his entire life in State 48 and will now begin his NBA career at home. The Chander, AZ native won four high school state titles with the Perry Pumas before committing to the Arizona Wildcats. In his lone season in Tucson, Mr. Arizona helped lead the UA to its first Final Four in 25 years. Now, he’s a Phoenix Sun.
Devin Booker and Jalen Green run the show in Phoenix, but pairing Koa Peat alongside Dillon Brooks will be an interesting development. Brooks is one of the most polarizing players in the league – if he’s on your team, you love him, but if he’s not, you don’t. Peat has a tremendous opportunity to learn from Dillon Brooks and develop into an all-around player, further developing his offensive game, while adding more defensive techniques and toughness to his tool belt.
The front court in Phoenix won’t be the tallest in the league, but the combination of Peat, along with Brooks, Mark Williams, Khaman Maluach, and Oso Ighodaro should give the Suns a tough, gritty group down low.
Player Comp
There are a few players peat reminds us of currently in the Association. The first is Aaron Gordon and not just because he also went to Arizona. The two are both strong forwards whose game focuses on the offensive side of the ball. Measurable wise, Peat and Gordon are within an inch and 10 pounds of one another and both boast a broad, physical frame. Gordon is a better overall shooter than Peat, but neither are guys that consistently stretch the floor and pose a threat outside. If Peat can further develop his shot, there’s no reason he won’t enjoy a 10-plus year career in the NBA.
Peat also reminds us a bit of John Collins and Zion Williamson, who, like Gordon, are strong, physical forwards with a stronger offensive than defensive presence.