Coach Budenholzer has already made clever preseason adjustment

The Phoenix Suns may have only played a solitary preseason game so far - against those pesky Los Angeles Lakers no less - but already there has been a lot to like about how this group is coming together. Training camp is going well while it was great to see Damion Lee back out there after over a year out injured.

Then there is head coach Mike Budenholzer - tasked with putting a winning product on the court - and saying and doing all of the right things to try and make that happen. We're yet to see center Jusuf Nurkic shoot a 3-pointer yet as a result of a finger injury - but as we now know - that is an area to look out for as the season unfolds.

Coach Bud has also already made clever use of his new roster.

Those tuning in to watch the 118-114 win over the Lakers - with LeBron James and his son making a piece of history - would have seen the Suns go deep into their bench. This was to be expected, with returning Sun Frank Kaminsky making the most of the limited run he received to put himself in position for that final roster spot in The Valley. For now.

But it was how Budenholzer used his pair of rookies in Oso Ighodaro and Ryan Dunn that will have piqued interest, and it could give us a clue into their roles once the regular season actually begins. That's because the two players - in their first game ever alongside their teammates - averaged the most minutes of any player on the court in Los Angeles.

Ighodaro led the way with 27 minutes played, although the main reason for this was due to the injury to Nurkic. But in that time on the court it was his passing that really caught the eye - not to mention a level of athleticism that Nurkic and Mason Plumlee simply do not have - and which will have pleased coach Budenholzer.

He's known for creating impactful offensive sets, and it is fair to say Ighodaro already looks like he'll give the Suns different options at both the four and the five. Giving him this much run early on was a great vote of confidence, and it also paid dividends. Ighodaro already looking like a legitimate option to have alongside Nurkic and Plumlee.

For Dunn - the organization's first round pick this summer - it was much the same, albeit at a different position. His 24 minutes played the second most of any guy who suited up on the night, and the hope is that he can have some defensive impact from the wing position. He didn't jump off the screen like Ighodaro, but it was still a vote of confidence from this coaching staff.

Already these two look like the ideal regular season players to have in reserve throughout the campaign. Injuries are going to happen - and in the case of Ighodaro - they may not even need to in order to force his way into the conversation for more minutes. Look for coach Budenholzer to turn to them frequently during preseason play, with one going on to crack the second unit.