The Phoenix Suns are one win away from making the playoffs, and by now you are likely aware that center Mark Williams found himself on the bench in the most critical moment of the season.
Head coach Jordan Ott electing to sit him for the fourth-quarter of their eventual loss to the Portland Trail Blazers in the play-in tournament, with Oso Ighodaro the main beneficiary.
Ighodaro has future in The Valley no matter what happens
Ighodaro played 23 minutes of the game, with Williams being given one less minute than that as head coach Jordan Ott revealed his hand on what he thinks of the franchise's second round pick moving forward.
If you cast your mind back to the start of the season, then you probably remember Ighodaro was tried as the starting five as well.
That didn't work, but it should have given us a major clue into coach Ott's thinking on this. Which is why Ighodaro is going to remain an important part of this rotation off the bench no matter what.
Oso Ighodaro had his best game in a #Suns jersey in the win over the Kings, but as we said to close out 2025, this had been coming (✍🏻 @LucaLockheart)https://t.co/IyPnmgswvE
— Valley of the Suns (@ValleyoftheSuns) January 3, 2026
It is one thing for coach Ott to think this way, right now he's under as much pressure as he has faced all season in Phoenix with their potential failure to make the playoffs, but he is not alone.
Zach Lowe of The Ringer mentioned on his most recent podcast that he trusts Ighodaro more than Williams in big moments, which makes the decision to trade a pair of first round picks for him look awful in hindsight.
A decision that is surely not lost on both the Los Angeles Lakers and Charlotte Hornets as the Lakers appear for the playoffs proper and the Hornets continue to trend in the right direction without him.
Making this even worse is the fact that, and we mean no disrespect here, Ighodaro hasn't even been that good throughout his time in The Valley.
He is quietly consistent and dilligent in setting screens and using his athleticism on both ends of the court, but he can drift through games and offensively doesn't require much game planning.
For Williams, who hopes to get a nice extension this offseason, to be losing out on minutes to a second round pick who looks like a nice addition to the back of a rotation is hugely concerning.
Not that Ighodaro will care. He has the backing of his head coach and a prominent member of the national media, and he continues to work hard for his opportunities.
He is also a cost-effective solution for the Suns as they flirt with the first apron this summer, a place they do not want to return to. No matter how this season ends, Ighodaro should be thrilled.
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