Oso Ighodaro enters the season with a clear assignment: prove he belongs in the Suns’ long-term picture.
The 24-year-old checks in at No. 6 on the list of Phoenix Suns with the most to prove, and the question hanging over him is simple enough. Is he more than a useful depth piece, or can he force his way into a larger role?
Right now, Ighodaro sits third in the Suns’ center rotation behind Mark Williams and Khaman Maluach, who appear headed for a compelling battle to open the season as the starter. That leaves Ighodaro on the outside looking in, but not without a path forward.
He’s the same age as Williams, and unlike either of the two centers ahead of him, he brings real versatility. His athleticism lets him slide to forward, where he often looks more comfortable and where he can share the floor with Williams or Maluach when the situation calls for it.
That flexibility matters, especially with Miles Bridges in the mix. It also comes after Ighodaro eventually found some traction in Phoenix as a center, following a rough start to last season when he was thrown into the starting five and struggled badly.
For the Suns, the calculus is bigger than just one roster spot. If Ighodaro can settle in as a backup center, it could give them a way to move on from Williams and open up more financial flexibility. It would also help ease the frontcourt congestion that has created spacing problems and too much overlap in talent.
The pressure on Ighodaro becomes even clearer when you look at Ryan Dunn. Both players came out of the 2024 draft class, though Dunn went in the first round. He was supposed to be a “3-and-D” wing in the mold of Mikal Bridges, but that hasn’t come together, and the Suns have already started shifting toward veterans like Bridges and Dillon Brooks to help them win now.
With Rasheer Fleming and Koa Peat now also moving up behind Dunn and Ighodaro, the margin for error keeps shrinking. Dunn is stuck between not being productive enough to matter right away and not having the upside to justify waiting. His future in Phoenix looks shaky, and Ighodaro has avoided that kind of trouble for now.
Still, the message is the same for him: keep improving or risk getting squeezed out. The Suns are going to be ruthless about building around Devin Booker, and Ighodaro has to show this season that he can be part of that plan for the long haul.
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