Oso Ighodaro Is Quietly Becoming the Suns’ Secret Weapon
PHOENIX - In a season where the Phoenix Suns have been hunting for stability and cohesion, second-year big man Oso Ighodaro has quietly emerged as one of the team’s most impactful players. Forget the sophomore slump - Ighodaro is rewriting what a Year 2 leap can look like.
He may not be lighting up the box score every night, but his fingerprints are all over the Suns’ success. While the highlight-reel dunks and emphatic blocks grab attention, it’s the advanced metrics - and more importantly, the eye test - that tell the real story.
Ighodaro currently ranks third on the team in total plus-minus at +144, a sizable gap ahead of the next closest teammate, Jordan Goodwin (+106). That includes a jaw-dropping +52 in a single game during a November win over the Indiana Pacers - a performance that didn't just move the needle, it bent it.
That kind of impact doesn’t happen by accident. Ighodaro has carved out a role as a dynamic rim-runner, a willing and capable playmaker from the post, and a versatile defender who can hold his own both on the perimeter and in the paint. He’s the kind of modern NBA big that doesn’t need the ball to dominate - he just needs the opportunity to be on the floor.
Fun moment with Dillon Brooks and myself: I asked him about Oso Ighodaro’s 13-rebound performance, to which he replied “Finally. He yelled at me.”@KellanOlson followed up and asked if Brooks needs to ask those performances out of Ighodaro or forcing it out of him.
— Hayden Cilley (@HaydenCilley) December 19, 2025
“It’s the… pic.twitter.com/T5t4bUfR32
Despite his breakout, Ighodaro isn’t campaigning for attention. With the NBA Rising Stars Game around the corner during All-Star Weekend, he’s not focused on making a roster - he’s focused on making winning plays.
“I've just really been worried about winning with our team,” Ighodaro said. “Maybe that's my case, that we're playing well. I think I've been impacting winning at a high level and continuing to get better.”
That team-first mindset has been consistent since his rookie season, but the real turning point came during the 2025 Summer League. In Vegas, Ighodaro looked like a man among boys - dunking everything in sight, swatting shots into the stands, and showcasing a motor that just didn’t stop. It was the first real glimpse of what he could become.
By the time training camp rolled around, the Suns’ center rotation was a question mark. Mark Williams, the newcomer, was penciled in as the starter.
Nick Richards, a more traditional back-to-the-basket big and arguably the team’s best rebounder, brought a different flavor. Then there was rookie Khaman Maluach, brimming with upside but still raw.
And then there was Ighodaro - the most unique of the bunch.
He’s not just a lob threat or a shot blocker. He’s a connector.
A big who can make reads, push the pace, and defend multiple positions. That kind of versatility caught the eye of head coach Jordan Ott, who has a history of unlocking bigs with playmaking chops, going back to his time in Cleveland with Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley.
But while Ighodaro’s skill set was never in doubt, the Suns wanted more - especially from a mentality standpoint.
Enter Dillon Brooks.
Brooks, known for his fiery edge and relentless energy, became a culture tone-setter in Phoenix. And he wasn’t shy about challenging the younger players to match that intensity. While guys like Collin Gillespie and Ryan Dunn embraced the “dog” mentality right away, Ighodaro - with his calm demeanor and quiet confidence - took a little longer to flip the switch.
Brooks wasn’t having it. Throughout training camp and into the season, he pushed Ighodaro, calling him out during practices and shootarounds, trying to light a fire.
And then, it happened.
During a December 18 game against the Golden State Warriors, Ighodaro finally snapped - not in a bad way, but in the way Brooks had been waiting for. On the bench, he lashed out at Brooks.
The veteran smiled. That was the moment he knew the young big had turned the corner.
“He’s been pushing me since the day he got here,” Ighodaro said. “Obviously, we butt heads sometimes, but he’s helped me become a better player so far. I’m super grateful for him.”
That edge, combined with Ighodaro’s ever-growing skill set, has elevated him from a promising prospect to a trusted closer. Yes, Ott is now turning to him in crunch time - not out of necessity, but because he earns it.
And it’s not just about talent. It’s about trust. Ighodaro knows who he is as a player, and he’s not trying to be anything more than what the team needs.
“The reasons I’m in the game - my defensive activity and pace offensively - just doing those things,” Ighodaro said. “Focusing on what I’m good at and not trying to do too much.
Playing with some really good players out there, so just playing my role. That’s all that’s required of me.
I know confidence is obviously a big thing too.”
That confidence, paired with elite basketball instincts, is what makes Ighodaro such a rare find. And while most second-year players are still figuring things out, he’s already impacting winning at a high level - and doing it in a way that doesn’t always show up in the stat sheet.
A lot of credit goes back to his college days at Marquette under head coach Shaka Smart. The attention to detail - sprinting into screens, defensive positioning, footwork, stance - might seem like the small stuff, but it’s become the foundation of Ighodaro’s game.
It’s why he’s trusted late in games. It’s why he fits so seamlessly next to stars.
It’s why he’s helping the Suns win.
So, whether or not he gets the Rising Stars nod, it doesn’t really matter. Because Oso Ighodaro is rising - with or without the spotlight.
And the Suns are better for it.