Knicks Assistant's Former Protege Opens NBA Draft's 2nd Round

Beyond the fact that his son is the franchise face, Rick Brunson perhaps earned some sterling visual evidence for his case to stay on the New York Knicks' coaching staff.

Former Brunson protégé Rasheer Fleming, a 6'9" forward out of St. Joseph's was named the 31st pick of the 2025 NBA Draft, the first name announced in Thursday's second round proceedings. Fleming was officially drafted by the Minnesota Timberwolves but the pick is set to be traded to the Phoenix Suns.

Fleming worked under Brunson, who served as the top assistant coach to ousted boss Tom Thibodeau on last year's Knicks staff, at Camden High School in New Jersey. He averaged 10.6 points and 7.1 rebounds in three seasons as a Hawk and earned first-team All-Atlantic 10 honors last year. He was second in the conference in rebounds in each of the last years, leading it in offensive last year and defensive this time around.

“When he first got here, he was a little nervous,” Brunson said of Fleming in 2021, per Josh Friedman of the Cherry Hill Courier-Post. “We told him how good he was. He’s (6-9) with a 7-3 wingspan. He has the ability to be really, really good. You got to believe in yourself and I think he’s getting better with that every day.”

The metropolitan status of Brunson, the father of Knicks captain Jalen Brunson, is in limbo after Thibodeau's firing, but Fleming and his massive wingspan should get a chance to succeed in Phoenix fairly early. Picking up the pieces of the failed Kevin Durant era, the Suns have spent the last 48 hours bolstering their interior picture, trading for Charlotte Hornets center Mark Williams and drafting Khaman Maluach out of Duke with the 10th overall choice.