When the Phoenix Suns acquired former No. 2 overall pick Jalen Green from the Houston Rockets in the Kevin Durant blockbuster trade, the hope was that Green’s durability would carry over to The Valley.
Green was fresh off back-to-back seasons in Houston starting all 82 regular season games. Unfortunately for the Suns, Green played in a career low 32 games in his first season with Phoenix as he battled a recurring hamstring injury that torpedoed his season.
He missed the entire month of December and most of January as he worked to get healthy.
But while Green’s season was marred by injuries, NBA sophomore and Arizona native Oso Ighodaro accomplished what no Suns player has since the 2021-22 season: play in all 82 regular season games.
Oso Ighodaro first Suns player to play in 82 games since Mikal Bridges
The last Suns player to do that was noted NBA Ironman Mikal Bridges, who’s now played in a stunning 638 consecutive games without being sidelined.
It’s another feather in the cap for Ighodaro, who put together a mostly brilliant second year in the pros as the Suns’ backup center behind trade acquisition Mark Williams.
Ighodaro’s interior defense has been a standout trait this season, but so, too, has been his woeful free throw shooting — down to a dismal 45.3% from the charity stripe.
The poor free throw shooting has forced first-year head coach Jordan Ott to lean on other options in crunch time, but it’s one of the few warts on Ighodaro’s game as he further established himself as a more than reliable rotational piece in the lineup for a team that beat all preseason expectations.
All told, the Suns were 6.2 points per 100 possessions better with Oso on the court vs. when he was on the bench. In terms of offensive rating, the Suns were a superior team on both ends of the court with Ighodaro out there. Phoenix was four points better per 100 possessions with Oso on offense, and opponents were 2.2 points per 100 possessions worse when the big man from Mesa was in the lineup.
With Williams set to become a free agent whenever the Suns’ postseason run ends, Ighodaro made a strong case that Phoenix will be OK whether the restricted FA is brought back to The Valley next season or not.
Since Collin Gillespie will also be a free agent in need of a new contract, it’s entirely possible the Suns will focus on retaining him while letting Williams sign elsewhere — thus moving forward with the combo of Ighodaro and youngster Khaman Maluach manning the center position.
But that’s a problem to solve after this playoff run, which the Suns are hoping extends into the playoff bracket proper after competing in the play-in tournament.
The steady contributions of Ighodaro will continue to be a key piece to the puzzle.