The Phoenix Suns have steadied themselves after a rough opening stretch, and the move that helped spark it was simple: Oso Ighodaro into the starting lineup.
Phoenix has won four of its last five games, and the timing lines up neatly with the switch made five games ago. Before that, the Suns stumbled to a 1-5 start through their first six games, all of them with Khaman Maluach in the starting five. Once head coach Jordan Ott changed course, the results changed with it.
That’s why Ighodaro looks like the right answer at center for now. The Suns want to build around Maluach, the No. 10 pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, and there’s still room for him to get real minutes this season. But at this stage, he looks more like a bench piece than the player Phoenix needs anchoring the middle.
Ighodaro has been part of the Suns’ rotation since entering the league in 2024 as the 40th overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft, and his role has grown gradually. He played in all 82 games last season and even picked up a few spot starts. Now, after a short run backing up Maluach, he’s pushed his way into the job full time.
In his first five starts this season, Ighodaro has averaged 4.2 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 3.0 assists while shooting 45.0% from the field. The numbers matter, but they don’t tell the whole story. What stands out is the way he fits the group: the passing, the defense, the screens, the way he keeps the offense and defense connected.
He’s simply more ready right now. At 20 years old, Maluach still has a long runway ahead of him, but the Suns needed a fix in the present, and Ott found it. For a team trying to dig out of an ugly start, Ighodaro in the starting lineup makes the most sense.
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