The Phoenix Suns already found one of the league’s better regular-season formulas last year, winning 45 games and reaching the playoffs. Now they may have a five-man group that can keep the wins coming while making life miserable for opponents: Goodwin, Booker, Brooks, Ighodaro and Maluach.
That alignment gives Phoenix a chance to lean harder into the defensive identity it flashed last season. The Suns ranked ninth in defensive rating at 112.9 in 2025-26, and a big part of that came from the mix of Goodwin’s pressure at the point of attack, Brooks chasing down top scorers and Ighodaro’s ability to disrupt actions as a springy big.
The case starts with Goodwin, who the numbers already strongly suggest should be the point guard in what could become Phoenix’s most dangerous five-man unit. Booker naturally fits beside him in the backcourt, and Brooks makes sense at the three after a career year and an offseason extension.
The real wrinkle is the frontcourt. If Coach Jordan Ott goes with Ighodaro at power forward and puts Khaman Maluach next to him, the Suns suddenly have a group that is tough to score on from multiple angles.
Ighodaro was one of Phoenix’s more interesting pieces after the turn of the year last season, when the team looked much more connected defensively with him on the floor. He spent a lot of that stretch at center, but there’s no reason he can’t still help in a lineup with Maluach.
Maluach’s stock has been rising quickly in Phoenix and around the league, and Summer League only added to that momentum. He looked more comfortable there as an interior presence, which matters if the Suns want to build around size and resistance in the paint.
That setup would also ease some of the pressure on Booker on the defensive end. And while it may not always be the prettiest group offensively, that’s where Bridges and Jalen Green come in. Both are expected to start games, though Green probably shouldn’t.
But when Ott needs a stop, or needs to squeeze the life out of a stronger opponent’s offense, this is the kind of lineup he can reach for. It brings frightening size inside with Ighodaro and Maluach, physical edge on the perimeter with Brooks and Goodwin, and Booker as the star who can be shielded from tougher assignments.
If The Valley was already a hard place to play last season, the Suns may have something even nastier waiting for visiting teams now.
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