The Suns are making another tweak to a lineup that hasn’t found its footing yet, and this one puts Oso Ighodaro in the starting center spot ahead of Thursday’s game against Orlando.
Phoenix is coming off a 1-5 start after Wednesday’s loss to Portland, the second time this season the Suns have fallen to the Trail Blazers. With Khaman Maluach moving out of the first unit, Ighodaro gets the nod as the team tries to steady itself early in the year.
That move has been building for a while. Suns reporter and analyst Gerald Bourguet has pushed multiple times for Ighodaro to take over from Maluach in the starting five, pointing to Ighodaro as the steadier play-maker and the less error-prone option.
Neither player is actually filling the job the Suns planned for long term. Phoenix’s usual starter, Mark Williams, is expected to remain sidelined until around February after offseason shoulder surgery to repair a torn left labrum.
There’s also movement, or at least momentum, around rookie forward Koa Peat. Through his first three NBA games, Peat has logged only 13 garbage-time minutes, but head coach Jordan Ott said before Thursday’s game that he’s “on the cusp” of cracking the rotation.
“ You know, we understand that he’s young and he hasn’t done have a ton of NBA game experience, but again, the way the game is moving, the ability to drive, process, and defend the drive, he appears to have it,” Ott said. “ And he’s right there.
He keeps working, he’ll get his opportunity and we have full faith that that’s what’s coming. “
The injury list remains part of the picture too. Guard Jordan Goodwin, dealing with right calf soreness, and forward Rasheer Fleming, who has a left ankle sprain, will both sit out a second straight game on Thursday.
Ott said neither issue is considered long-term, with both players still viewed as day-to-day. He also said Fleming may have been in line for rotation minutes on Wednesday if he hadn’t been hurt the day before.
And if the Suns keep searching for answers, Bourguet has already floated one possible path. In a subscriber-only piece for Suns After Dark, he named five point guards who could make sense on the trade market if Phoenix - and especially Jalen Green - keeps struggling.
Still, Bourguet said he’d prefer the Suns first work through their own options, including the possibility of starting Collin Gillespie in place of Green, before going outside the building. De’Aaron Fox, Darius Garland and Jrue Holiday were among the veteran guards on his list.
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For Phoenix, the matchup offered a clear look at why the Magic are already under pressure to stabilize things quickly. The shot-making has not been there at a high enough level, especially from 3-point range, and the absence of Banchero and Suggs has left Orlando searching for answers it has not yet found. Until the Magic clean up the mistakes and get more consistent production back in the lineup, the early-season hole is only going to feel deeper. [Read more 🡒]
Devin Booker Looked Like Himself In A Suns Win That Solved Nothing
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Even so, the result did not exactly answer every question around this team. Orlandos 25 turnovers gave Phoenix plenty of easy offense, but the Magic also controlled the glass with 15 offensive rebounds and 15 second-chance points, a reminder that the Suns still have issues to sort through even when Booker is carrying the scoring load. [Read more 🡒]
Koa Peat Is Pressuring The Suns To Make A Rotation Decision
Koa Peat has spent the early part of his rookie season on the edge of the Suns rotation, getting into four games and seeing only limited minutes while the coaching staff sorts out where he fits. Jordan Ott has made it clear the forward is drawing attention because of his size and skill set, and that kind of profile can be hard to keep parked for long when a team is searching for reliable depth.
The Suns have leaned on their G League affiliate to help develop young players, but Peats situation has been a little more complicated because of roster availability and the desire to keep him close. For now, he remains just outside the regular mix, but the fact that he is already pushing for a larger role suggests Phoenix will have to make a real decision soon about how quickly to open the door. [Read more 🡒]