The Phoenix Suns fell to an ugly 92-77 loss to the Portland Trail Blazers on Sunday, their second game of a back-to-back and with injuries having decimated the rotation.
Despite the clear need for guys to step up and play more minutes than usual, head coach Jordan Ott opted to play second year forward Oso Ighodaro even less than he's used to this season.
Writing on the wall for Ighodaro if he can't earn extra minutes now
This is massively concerning for the 23-year-old's development in The Valley, particularly with Ryan Dunn being promoted to the starting lineup and playing 31 minutes.
Not that Dunn seized that opportunity himself (two points in 31 minutes to finish with minus 18), and in fact the Suns have a glaring problem with him as well.
Ighodaro had four points and two boards in 17 minutes of action, which is down some on the 20.2 minutes he has averaged so far this season.
Even more concerning, new recruit Amir Coffey (23 minutes) saw more of the floor, despite the fact he is not going to be in Phoenix long-term.
Really though it was coach Ott having to turn to the rookies on this roster that should have worried Ighodaro the most, as they look to be closing in on taking even more of his minutes.
Center Khaman Maluach played one minute less than Ighodaro and have seven points and boards, the clearest indicator yet that he is ready for a bigger role on this roster if they remain this banged up.
Then there was Rasheer Fleming, who played 22 minutes and had his six points come from a pair of 3-pointers.
Even Maluach got in on the action from deep, making the first three of his career. Ighodaro didn't even have an attempt from beyond the arc.
Not that this is how he wins minutes back on this team, but watching younger and in some cases bigger guys come in who can also defend but make a 3-pointer is a terrifying prospect for Ighodaro.
Coach Ott wasn't done there, with the rarely seen Koby Brea managing to get on the court for two minutes. That might seem like nothing, but he also made a 3-pointer and is going to get another look if the Suns' injury woes continues.
From the perspective of the organization having three rookies appear in a game is a promising development, even if the result was poor and the Suns scored a season low 77 points.
But for Ighodaro, failing to get more run when this group was down so many players does not bode well for his long-term future in The Valley.