Through two seasons with the Phoenix Suns, the franchise has to be happy with what second round pick Oso Ighodaro has given them.
But there remains a ton to work on offensively if the athletic forward wants to start for the Suns, and watching Evan Mobley in the postseason has shown us a path to Ighodaro having a greater impact in Phoenix.
Comfort handling the ball key to success for Ighodaro
During the Cleveland Cavaliers’ second round series versus the Detroit Pistons, their head coach Kenny Atkinson has occasionally deployed Mobley in a clever way to throw off the opponent.
A former Defensive Player of the Year, Mobley has been tasked with bringing the ball up the court and setting in motion some offensive possessions. This despite one of Donovan Mitchell or James Harden always being on the court alongside Mobley. That seems a poor way to use a towering center and some of the best creators in the league, but when you see the play develop it makes sense.
The Pistons are an elite defensive group and are bigger than the Cavaliers across most positions on the court. Having both Harden and Mitchell begin a possession away from the ball allows the Cavs to get them the mismatches they want before receiving the ball.
It also varies the offense, as over the course of a long series having the same duo begin every possession becomes easier to figure out if you’re the opponent.
Back to Ighodaro, and he has yet to develop a consistent offensive move or jump shot that he can turn to often. But what if he were to handle the ball some more and be the trigger on certain sets?
Devin Booker would then have a chance to read the defense before deciding where he wants the ball, and the more comfortable Ighodaro gets at handling the ball the better the Suns will be.
Then there is Jalen Green.
Not a point guard but capable of heating up in a hurry, giving him less responsibility in setting up his teammates can only be a positive.
Imagine inverting plays so that Green or Booker are setting the initial screen for Ighodaro, so that he can roll to the rim (a location he can do some damage already) while he could also include a 3-point shooter like Grayson Allen to get some effective three-man action going on certain possessions.
The Cavaliers do also have Jarrett Allen, and alongside Mobley the pair of them have started some plays to really throw the Pistons out of rhythm. The Suns don’t yet have that help for Ighodaro, and it is unclear whether Mark Williams or Khaman Maluach will ever be any better at initiating any offense.
The 23-year-old proved in year two that he can play some minutes as an undersized center (although there have been bumps in the road there too), and has progressed quicker than fellow draft pick Ryan Dunn. If a more consistent offensive game is never going to come, then becoming more comfortable away from the basket with ball in hand would seem a logical next step.
If Mobley can do this then there is no reason why Ighodaro can’t.
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