The Suns spent much of Mark Williams’ first season in Phoenix leaning on him as a trade addition at center. But Oso Ighodaro is making a case that the bigger long-term answer might already be in the building.
The Chandler-born big man told the Arizona Republic’s Duane Rankin that he has been “spending a lot of time” this offseason expanding his offensive game. He’s also working to stay healthy and grow into more of a leader. If that progress shows up, Williams’ grip on the rotation could get a lot looser.
That’s a real possibility because Williams still comes with durability concerns. The Lakers backed out of a deal for him after a failed physical exam, and Phoenix later brought him in by trade before re-signing the restricted free agent this summer.
Even in his first year in The Valley, the caution never really stopped. Williams missed 22 games because of planned rest on back-to-backs and a stress reaction in his foot, though he still managed to play 60 games, a career high.
The Suns also kept a tight leash on his workload, limiting him to 23.6 minutes per game. That was about three minutes fewer than he averaged in each of his previous two seasons with Charlotte.
Meanwhile, Ighodaro was the picture of dependability. He was the only Suns player to appear in all 82 regular-season games last year, starting 24 of them. He became the first Phoenix player to do that since Mikal Bridges, and he was one of only 18 players leaguewide to suit up for every game.
That kind of availability mattered. In his second NBA season, Ighodaro posted career highs almost everywhere that counts - points, rebounds, assists, steals and blocks - while shooting a career-best 65.3 percent from the field.
The glaring issue is at the line. Ighodaro hit just 45.3 percent of his free throws, a number he’ll have to clean up if he wants to stay on the floor late in games.
Still, his value goes well beyond what lands in the box score. Ighodaro said he wants to be a connector on both ends and lead like a “quarterback on the floor.” That’s the kind of language that fits his game: hand-offs, screens, rim protection, steady defense.
And on that end, he already gives the Suns something Williams hasn’t matched. Ighodaro held opponents to 57.8 percent shooting on attempts within six feet of the basket last season, according to NBA.com. Williams allowed 64.4 percent in those same situations.
Khaman Maluach, the former No. 10 overall draft pick, was even better than both, limiting opponents to 44.3 percent on those looks. That mark led all of basketball among players with at least 30 games played and at least two such field goals defended per game.
Ighodaro also finished with the best defensive box plus/minus on the Suns last season, preventing 2.3 points per 100 possessions. No one else on the roster topped 1.5.
If Ighodaro keeps building as a leader, improves his free throws, and adds even a little more offensively, it becomes hard to see why Jordan Ott would keep sitting his defense in favor of Williams for long.
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Mat Ishbia Just Drew A Firm Line On Devin Booker
Mat Ishbia used a fan Q&A to make one thing clear about Devin Booker: the Suns are not treating their franchise scorer like a name to be shopped around. The team owner, who is originally from Michigan, said he has no interest in moving Booker despite a fan request, reinforcing how central Booker remains to Phoenix after being drafted in 2015 and becoming the face of the clubs long-term plans.
The exchange also carried a little extra edge because of the destination involved, with the Pistons mentioned in the request and Ishbia drawing a firm line in response. For a team trying to keep its identity anchored around Booker, the message mattered less as a headline-grabber than as a reminder that Phoenixs most important player is still being treated as untouchable from the owners seat. [Read more 🡒]