With Mark Williams sidelined until at least the All-Star Break because of a torn labrum, the Suns suddenly have a much clearer center picture - and a more interesting one. The team is down to Oso Ighodaro and Khaman Maluach, with Ighodaro the likelier opening-night starter on paper. But that might not be the best move.
Williams was supposed to be the starter, Ighodaro the backup, and Maluach the guy who sprinkled in minutes as needed. That plan looked even murkier after Maluach’s huge summer league run, when he was impossible to ignore.
Now Williams’ injury has forced the issue, and the question is no longer whether Maluach will play. It’s whether he should be starting.
The case against Ighodaro is pretty straightforward. He doesn’t stretch the floor, he has no real three-point shot, he’s undersized, and he doesn’t rebound.
What he does bring is mobility, a high basketball IQ, and a willingness to keep the ball moving. The problem is that those strengths don’t solve the same issues already hanging over the rest of the starting group of Green, Booker, Brooks, and Bridges.
That unit already comes with baggage: limited three-point shooting, not much size, shaky rebounding, and not enough rim protection. Ighodaro doesn’t cover those cracks.
He either leaves them untouched or makes them more obvious. Maluach, by contrast, gives the group something it badly needs.
Most importantly, Maluach looked like a real three-point threat in summer league, going 8 of 20 for 40%. Given his age, work ethic, and the way he has already developed, that doesn’t feel like a fluke.
If that shot holds, a center who can hit 40% from deep changes the shape of the offense. It helps create the space the Suns say they want for more downhill drives and cleaner looks at the rim.
If Ighodaro is out there, the opposing center can sit in the paint and erase a lot of that advantage.
That kind of spacing matters more than people think. The old Steve Nash-Channing Frye days are a reminder of how valuable a big man can be when he opens the floor.
Frye was often right there with Nash in box plus/minus and net plus-minus per 48, which is a fancy way of saying he was nearly as important to winning as the point guard was. And Frye’s value came from something simple: he could play as a switchable 4/5 and knock down threes.
Ighodaro may actually fit better with the second unit. That group of Gillespie, Goodwin, Kennard, and Fleming has much more shooting juice, from solid to elite.
Fleming also has the size to handle some small-ball center work, so the lineup doesn’t get crushed physically the way the starters might. In that setup, Ighodaro’s lack of shooting matters less, while his passing and offensive feel can help keep things organized around players who don’t need the ball to create offense.
There’s also the question of the closing lineup. Maluach is very young and still raw, so asking him to finish games right away would be a lot for a competitive team. As the season goes on, though, the Suns may find themselves leaning on Gillespie, Kennard, Goodwin, and Fleming late in fourth quarters when they need defense and enough spacing for Booker to work.
That’s where Ighodaro could make more sense, especially if he’s surrounded by better shooters. He’s the more polished and reliable option in that kind of situation.
It also wouldn’t be new territory for the Suns. From 2009-2011, Jarron Collins and Robin Lopez usually started over Channing Frye, but Frye was the one on the floor to finish most games.
For now, Phoenix will tinker in preseason and see how the pieces fit in the first month. But if the starting group doesn’t click - and there’s reason to be skeptical - Jordan Ott may need to rethink the obvious answer and give Maluach the first crack.
In Other News...
Suns Look Tougher Now But One Roster Concern Still Looms
The Suns spent the offseason trying to make the roster tougher, and the moves show it. Trading for Miles Bridges added another physical wing, while Collin Gillespie and Jordan Goodwin were brought back on long-term deals to stabilize the group around a perimeter-heavy core. From the outside, Phoenix looks built to lean on toughness and versatility, with Dillon Brooks, Devin Booker and Jalen Green carrying a lot of the shot-making load.
Still, there is a real issue sitting in the middle of the roster, and it is one that could shape how far this group can go. Phoenixs center depth is already under scrutiny after Mark Williams injury, leaving the Suns thinner than they would like in a spot that is hard to patch over once the season starts. An anonymous NBA scout pointed to Bridges physical style as a plus, but the broader question is whether the Suns have enough size and balance to hold up over time. [Read more 🡒]
Suns Enter A Make Or Break Season Around Devin Booker
Phoenix enters the season with Devin Booker still at the center of everything, but the pressure around him feels heavier than it has in years. The roster around him is thin on certainty, the draft cupboard is close to empty, and recent moves like the addition of Miles Bridges have not done much to quiet questions about whether this group has enough depth to matter in the West.
The bigger issue is how little margin for error remains if the Suns stall again. This is not just about getting back to relevance, but about whether the front office can justify keeping the current core intact if the team does not take a real step forward, with any further disappointment pushing the franchise toward uncomfortable choices about Bookers future and what a reset would even look like. [Read more 🡒]