Oso Ighodaro Steps Up to Help Suns Win First NBA Cup Game

The Phoenix Suns' second-round pick had played sparingly up until last night, but was ready to go when his name was called upon.

Oct 11, 2024; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Detroit Pistons forward Simone Fontecchio (19) drives against Phoenix Suns center Oso Ighodaro (4) during the second half at Footprint Center. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images / Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images

The Suns have been applauded for last summer's NBA Draft success early on in this season. People are quick to notice first-round pick Ryan Dunn's defensive potential that had NBA scouts on notice when he was at Virginia. The pushback on him was his poor shooting numbers in college, which has not nearly been the case thus far. Dunn is shooting an impressive 39.5% from behind the arc on 1.5 makes per game. Had NBA teams knew he could shoot this well, he would have been much higher on draft boards.

Dunn's prowess has people forgetting he was not the only pick Phoenix made last summer. The Suns drafted Marquette big man Oso Ighodaro with the No. 40 overall pick in the second round. Ighodaro was a bit of a late bloomer in college, but was able to put his well-rounded skillset on display which caught the attention of the Suns. He averaged over 13 points, seven rebounds, three assists, a steal and a block per game his senior season.

Earlier this week, Ighodaro stepped up as Jusuf Nurkic was out with an ankle injury. He scored six points, grabbed 12 rebounds and blocked 2 shots in the Suns' first NBA Cup win over the Utah Jazz. He was a key factor on the boards and was able to tip loose balls to his teammates to keep possessions alive. He primarily served as a screener on the offensive end helping get Phoenix's guards driving lanes to the rim.

On a team with Kevin Durant (currently out with a calf strain), Devin Booker and Bradley Beal, the Suns don't need much additional scoring, but role players who excel in other facets of the game. Ighodaro will continue to serve in a more traditional big man role early on in his career by rebounding, protecting the rim and setting good screens. If he can do this at a high level and earn more trust from the coaching staff, Ighodaro has another level of playmaking ability he could tap into when given the chance that he showed at Marquette.

Phoenix made the backup big man spot a priority this offseason and have found two of them in Ighodaro and Mason Plumlee. Ighodaro gives the Suns a reliable big who is capable of stepping in and playing big minutes when needed. If he can build off this performance, more minutes could be on the way for him.

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