Barring a late offseason trade, the Phoenix Suns look set to keep the roster largely intact heading into next season. That kind of continuity matters in a league that never stops moving, and after making the playoffs last year, the Suns have a chance to lean into it.
One of the clearest places that stability could show up is at center, where Khaman Maluach and Oso Ighodaro are positioned to pick up more minutes.
Mark Williams is in the mix after landing a three-year, $38 million extension, but that does not mean the Suns are done looking at other options behind him. In fact, both Maluach and Ighodaro should chip away at his playing time.
For Maluach, the rise feels inevitable. The 10th overall pick last season flashed plenty at Summer League and left with a lot more attention than he arrived with.
He is only 19, and after averaging just 8.9 minutes as a rookie, a bigger role is coming. That number could climb to around 15 minutes, though another short run in the G League would not be a surprise either.
The Suns have already started making room for him, moving Nick Williams at the deadline last season to clear a path for a look at what Maluach can become.
Ighodaro is the more unexpected name, but the roster around him is helping push him into the center picture. He opened last season at the five and even started on opening night, but that experiment went poorly. Since then, he has settled into the roster much better, and now he has Miles Bridges alongside him.
Head coach Jordan Ott could use Ighodaro at center in a frontcourt group with Bridges and Dillon Brooks, a lineup that would be tight for space but could also open things up for Jalen Green.
Williams’ availability also leaves the door open. He has yet to make it through a full season healthy, and his 60 appearances for the Suns last year, including 55 starts, were a career high. He also missed their short postseason run.
That is where Ighodaro stands to benefit most. The Suns are not expected to hand Maluach that job in those moments, and that makes sense.
What started as a quiet roster question has turned into the most intriguing internal battle in Phoenix: who gets the minutes at center.
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