The Phoenix Suns will head into Game 2 versus the Oklahoma City Thunder without some of their key players once again, with Mark Williams generously listed as day-to-day.
Failure of Suns’ draft picks to score a huge problem
Not having their best players is one of many problems the Suns have in this series, and the inability of their own draft picks to contribute offensively is another issue that doesn’t look like it will be fixed in this series.
Second year players Ryan Dunn and Oso Ighodaro somehow combining for zero points between them despite playing a whopping 51 minutes combined in the contest.
This is an issue that had been creeping up on Phoenix, and the inability of both players to develop any kind of offensive game is what has held them back from having an even greater impact in The Valley.
It is easier to excuse Ighodaro here, he is a second round pick who in an ideal world would come off the bench and who plays with real intensity and uses his strong and athletic frame on both ends of the court.
He has had to fill in as the starting center while also coming off the bench alongside Williams on occasion as well, head coach Jordan Ott asking Ighodaro to wear a lot of different hats in this rotation.
But for first round pick Dunn to offer precious little, while also failing to take a consistent step forward with his 3-point shooting despite several false dawns, is a problem that must be addressed this offseason.
In defense of both, the Suns are ahead of schedule and most didn’t expect them to make the postseason. The trajectory this franchise is on means time is still on their side to get this right. But it would be incredibly useful if even one of these guys could hit a couple of shots right now.
Not that the Thunder make it easy. There truly is no opponent in the entire world who has the personnel and game plan to shut down even the most polished scorers. Even Devin Booker and Jalen Green are going to find this series an incredibly tough slog.
The Suns don’t need Dunn or Ighodaro to be those guys, but it is interesting that rookie Rasheer Fleming was able to contribute nine points in the Game 1 loss. All from beyond the arc, but he has the body type himself to be a problem on both ends of the court.
A potential dynasty such as the Thunder will always highlight the worst aspects of their opponents, but that doesn’t mean the Suns don’t have a long-term problem on their hands with these two a serious part of the rotation. An interesting summer lies ahead for both.
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