The Phoenix Suns opened their 2026-27 season in disastrous fashion, losing on the road to the Portland Trail Blazers, 124-83. Adding injury to insult, Suns big man Oso Ighodaro exited the game after 15 minutes of action with an apparent hip injury.
Ighodaro sat out the team’s final preseason game with hip discomfort and, at minimum, reaggravated that ailment against Portland in an otherwise solid night: eight points, three rebounds, three assists, and no turnovers (though he did miss both of his free throws in what’s become a recurring theme).
Already without starting center Mark Williams, who will miss significant time recuperating from surgery to repair a torn labrum in his shoulder, the Suns could be in deep trouble if Ighodaro’s injury forces him to miss significant time, given how much he was poised to help.
Suns defensive rebounding woes set to somehow get worse
One of the big takeaways from opening night was the lingering rebounding troubles for the Suns. The Trail Blazers out-rebounded Phoenix 56-39, which included a 40-26 discrepancy on the defensive boards. New addition Miles Bridges finished with four rebounds in 29 minutes, doubling his total in garbage time when the game had long since been decided.
Without Ighodaro, the Suns’ persistent rebounding issues could be set to get far more unsightly.
Already a poor defensive rebounding team a season ago, last season’s leading rebounder was Williams at eight per game. If Ighodaro’s hip injury is severe enough to keep him sidelined moving forward, Phoenix will now have to replace even more board crashing. The Suns were undersized before Ighodaro’s injury, which now puts plenty of pressure on 20-year-old Khaman Maluach to hold down the fort at center.
Maluach was head coach Jordan Ott’s choice to start on opening night, but he only logged 17 minutes. He finished with six rebounds and as many points as personal fouls: two.
Maluach was already thrust into the spotlight with the Williams injury. Now, he’ll be the only healthy center on the roster if Ighodaro misses more time.
Ighodaro’s impact remained underrated throughout 2025-26
A season ago, Ighodaro took plenty of potshots from Suns fans who didn’t understand his value and wanted to see more of 19-year-old rookie Maluach. But Oso’s impact from an on-court and off-court standpoint stood out.
During Phoenix’s surprise 45-win campaign a season ago, the Suns were four points better in offensive rating with Ighodaro on the floor and 2.2 points per 100 possessions better defensively as well. All told, that’s a 6.2 point-per-100-possession swing when Ighodaro plays vs. when he’s sitting on the bench.
Barring positive updates on his condition, the Suns are set to get even more shorthanded. If Bridges doesn’t improve his effort on the defensive glass, Phoenix shouldn’t expect to out-rebound anyone in the NBA with Ighodaro on the shelf.
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