When the Golden State Warriors drafted Draymond Green with the 35th overall pick in the 2012 draft, few could have predicted just how big of a steal he would end up being. Now, 12 years later, the Phoenix Suns are hoping that their 40th overall pick, Oso Ighodaro, was similarly undervalued heading into the draft.
It might seem a little unfair to compare Ighodaro to the engine of a dynasty and one of the greatest defenders of all time, but his Summer League performance showed it’s not far-fetched at all.
His combination of size, defense, and playmaking is extremely uncommon, and Green is the prototype for that kind of player.
Dray's unique playmaking ability as a power forward made him an essential piece next to the "Splash Brothers", but that was actually viewed as a secondary skill to his defense entering the league. Over 4 years at Michigan State, he averaged 2.9 assists per game, but has averaged 5.6 in the NBA. It wasn’t until his fourth year in the pros that he transitioned to a lead playmaker.
Similarly, Ighodaro has been viewed as a big man that can pass, rather than a legitimate offensive hub. In his four years at Marquette, Oso averaged 2.3 assists per game, with a career-high mark of 3.3 in his junior year. Summer League showed that he may be used differently in the NBA.
In five games, Oso averaged 4.2 apg in 26.4 minutes per game, as the Suns clearly leaned into his playmaking ability. Aside from orchestrating out of the half-court, they trusted him to bring the ball up off rebounds and on the break.
Draymond’s ability to do that and not let defenses get set is arguably the most invaluable piece of his playmaking. Oso pushing the pace can have a similar effect for the Suns.
And while neither he nor Green have a particularly tight handle, nor will either player wow you with highlight passes, they excel as playmakers due to their ridiculously high IQs. If the Suns tap into that and put an emphasis on Oso's playmaking, he can also see a jump in offensive impact.
6’11 Oso Ighodaro has one of the highest IQ’s in this NBA draft 🔥 he broke down every NBA action in 1 take in film study without seeing the play before pic.twitter.com/DUTpTJ8xoF
— Jordan Richard (@JordanRichardSC) June 23, 2024
Still, it’s unlikely the Suns will rely on Oso’s passing this year, especially with all the playmaking additions they’ve made this offseason. His path to playing time will be his defense, just like Draymond's early in his career.
At 6’10 Ighodaro is a different defender than Green. He has less switch-ability and can’t guard 1-5 like the smaller Warrior, but his height and athleticism could turn him into an elite rim protector. His active hands, which we saw a lot of in Summer League, and lateral agility will also allow him to guard wings.
In recent years, Draymond has managed to get by on his defense and playmaking while not being much of a bucket getter, but in his prime he was enough of a scoring threat to keep defenses honest. Oso doesn’t have a 3-pointer to speak of, and he prefers to launch flip shots instead of using a traditional mid-range jumper, but he's more of an interior threat than Dray is.
That comes in the form of his ability as a lob threat. Despite playing with subpar playmaking and spacing in Summer League, Oso was able to convert numerous lobs, and used his own passing skills for a couple of give-and-gos on fast-breaks.
Also of note is that Oso shot 9/10 from the free-throw line. It’s a small sample size, but if he’s able to improve on his 61% mark from college, it’ll make him that much more of a well-rounded offensive player.
Being able to contribute right out of the gate as a lob threat and defender means Ighodaro should see plenty of playing time this season. It’ll be some time before he’s trusted to run an offense and start, much as it took Dray several seasons to lay claim to those roles. If Ighodaro continues to flash his skills, it won't be long until he does, and begins to be talked about as a steal.