Over the last couple of games, much of the discussion about this team has centered on the center room. With Mark Williams in his first season in the Valley, there have been some great highs but sadly some depressing lows too. Since Phoenix traded two first-round picks for him, given their very limited draft capital to begin with, it leaves fans questioning whether it was the right move. He will also be a restricted free agent this summer, and Phoenix has to weigh the positives and negatives of his game to decide
whether to pay him or let the trial expire.
Then there is Oso Ighodaro, who started rough, adjusting to his new role with Williams out to start the season. As time has progressed, though, Ighodaro has clearly shown himself to be the big man that coach Jordan Ott trusts the most. His ability to do a little bit of everything and grow as a defender has allowed him to rise in the rotation and get one of his best games recently against the Sacramento Kings.
Lastly, there is Khaman Maluach, the rookie with all the hype surrounding him, who was a recent lottery pick. Not only because it was a position of need for the team, but also because the Suns got the pick in the Kevin Durant trade.
With it also being the actual Suns’ pick, it was key for fans to hit a slam dunk on this selection. This year, with the Suns better than expected, Maluach has not gotten many opportunities with the main team but has gone down to the G League to get valuable reps with the Valley Suns. I mean, look at this dunk and let me know your thoughts on his potential.
That being said, since the Suns are better than many anticipated, many people are expecting this room to be great every night. Well, unfortunately for them, this team is still growing and trying to find out how they shine as a unit. Even with that, though, there have still been many bright spots this season for each center that prove they have grown.
For Williams, it’s been his health, as he’s been much healthier than in previous seasons. Before the start of this year, Williams’ career high was 44 games, but he has smashed that, currently playing in 56 out of the Suns’ 62 games so far! Many people claimed that the big man was “injury prone,” when in reality, he just needed a change of scenery with a team willing to invest in his strengths.
Granted, he just hit the injury report moments after I finished writing this.
With Ighodaro, it’s clear his defense has shot through the roof as he has been formidable on that end. I vividly remember one play late against the Knicks, where he was on an island guarding Jalen Brunson. Brunson tries to bite Ighodaro with pumpfakes and shotfakes to get him to jump, to allow him to breeze by the big to try and score at the basket. Well, Ighodaro does not even flinch, standing pat and sticking with Brunson and forcing him to make a bad pass to Mikal Bridges that Grayson Allen intercepts.
Maluach has shown that he can continue to get better, and in his small steps to get to the main lineup, he has. From looking at his G-League stats when he goes down, it is clear he is above many of the guys and will eventually be ready to crack this rotation. The eventual goal is not only for him but for the team that took him with the hope that he can be this franchise-changing centerpiece.
So with all that being said, I do not think there is a need to panic or freak out about this center room. The goal of this Suns team was to be competitive, better than last year, and to establish a new identity to head by. They have hit all three cylinders and proved that, even with some holes in this room, this is clearly the best we have seen in recent years.
Not everything in this league overnight becomes successful. Look at the recent champions and their paths to the title. It took multiple years, multiple playoff runs with depressing losses, and multiple trades to build the correct roster to fill in every hole. The Suns are in year ONE on this process and are already ahead of schedule in the department, so in my eyes, there is no need to fret.
For me, it does not matter this year. Let’s see what this team can do for the rest of the season with what they have. Williams can be a serviceable big and still hold the starter role going into next year as he gets accustomed to this rotation. With him entering free agency, if they can find a comfortable contract around the NTMLE ($14.1 million), I think that would be fair for both parties. This allows Williams to still compete as a starter while the Suns evaluate the younger prospects.
Ighodaro is also still on his rookie deal and is showing he’s better than where he was selected in the second round. This will keep him under contract for next year on a team-friendly deal. One that I also expect the Suns to renew and keep investing in.
Then that leaves Maluach, whom the Suns will hope to see more from in his sophomore year. Maluach has sprinkled some minutes in games out of play so far for Phoenix, but next year should be his year of integration. He learns how to deal with NBA defenses and continues to grow into the piece many of these fans believe in. If he shows any indication of reaching that next year or the year after, that is when you can fully invest in him and the direction.
At the moment, though, no one is available to come into this team at that position, which could drastically change this center room. Unless they are giving up another key piece like Grayson Allen, Dillon Brooks, or Jalen Green to do so, the contracts won’t be there to match, and ultimately, in my eyes, it isn’t the path they should go.
So, having this failsafe with Mark Williams isn’t the worst place this team can be, and has not been with this frontcourt. Let’s all remember this team is not the top three in the West and was not planned to be a playoff team in most people’s eyes, so let’s peel it back and be patient.
