The Phoenix Suns have had some success recently, winning the last six of seven games and holding a 9-6 record. This is impressive for a team that is not only in a retool phase but has also dealt with numerous
injuries to start the year. There is also one player on this team who has recently found greater success in a role more suited to him: Oso Ighodaro.
After a rough start to the season, where the fans were ready to take their pitchforks and force a sophomore second-round pick out of town, the big man has now gotten more comfortable and has found success on the court.
To start the season, the Suns had Mark Williams on a minute restriction and did not start him because of his injury history. This led to Ighodaro getting the starts early on, something that was firmly rooted in his success in the Summer League and Jordan Ott’s trust in the big man. This trust and desire to develop him led him to see more action on the court, leaving fans frustrated. He only started for four games before being moved to the bench for Williams, who was now healthy and ready to go.
The frustrations were understandable to some fans, as he was not doing well on the boards, struggled to defend, and looked unlikely to contribute much on the offensive end.
There is also the rational understanding. The fact that he is a sophomore NBA player going up against Ivica Zubac and Nikola Jokic, two of the NBA’s best big men. Not only that, but he was the 40th pick in the second round just last year. He was not a top-10 pick that hasn’t panned out or a lottery steal that the Suns had super high hopes on, so these expectations of him being able to control some of the best centers in the NBA are wild, especially when he’s still trying to learn where he shines.
Many people have written Ighodaro off as a five completely, with many stating he can only be a four but cannot shoot the three. I still think he can find his groove in the center spot if he is the backup on this Suns team, as he has shown.
After he was benched, Ighodaro still had some trouble finding his stride, competing with Nick Richards for those backup minutes. It is as recent as Ighodaro is, honestly, figuring out what he can be for this team and how that can translate to success. In two of the three recent games, he has had a significant impact on the bench unit.
As we all know, he had a historic performance the other night vs the Indiana Pacers, where he posted the third-highest +/- in NBA history with a +57. Even if this is impressive, it is not the whole story, and that statistic isn’t an end-all, be-all either.
That said, he still had an impressive game, with a season-high 17 points (7-9 fg), seven rebounds, and six steals (3 steals and three blocks). On offense, the paint was just wide open, allowing him to set screens and cut to the basket for some easy dunks. Not only that, but his floater, which he loves so dearly, was also dropping, giving him some nice confidence. This finish right here, though, was by far my favorite of his that night.
On Tuesday, Oso once again showed his skill set, as in the dominating win vs. the Portland Trail Blazers, he had a big third quarter. The big man found the same baskets as in the Pacers game, and it helped. He finished the game with 14 points (6-7 fg), four rebounds, and one assist. In both games, it seemed Oso understood where he needed to be on both sides of the ball and found some success in attacking the basket.
Final Thoughts
Now I know people are going to say, “Oh well, it’s only two games, you are just reaching,” but that is not the point of this article. The fact is to highlight not counting out these players, especially when the expectations for this team are not like they were in the past. I am sure Ighodaro is going to have great games like this versus some weaker opponents, and then vs some tough competition will struggle, that is okay though., he is a second year player trying to find his spot in a logjammed front court, He has gotten the benefit of the doubt getting more minutes than the other backup Nick Richards currently (236 to his 156) but that does not mean you can say he’s terrible.
He is growing, he is learning, and, just like all of us in our field, he is trying to be the best he can be, so all I ask is to temper the expectations and to enjoy his highlights when he makes an impact. Let’s not forget we are only 15 games into the year, and there is still A TON of basketball to break down!
