As Mark Williams recovers from injury, the third-year center enters a high-stakes litmus test to prove his defensive versatility and rebounding can anchor the Phoenix frontcourt.
The conversation around the 2026-27 season for the Phoenix Suns seems to be a rather uniform one.
This is a crucial campaign for Mat Ishbia, Brian Gregory, and the rest of the organization. While expectations of fielding a contender aren't present, this is an undeniable litmus test season in regards to scaling out if building one in the near future is attainable.
A major piece of this question is third-year center Oso Ighodaro. While Ighodaro seems to be in Phoenix's future plans, he has yet to sign an extension, and is still figuring out what his best spot is on the court long-term.
Follow a preview of Ighodaro's season below.
Reasonable Expectations for Ighodaro This Season
There's a strong chance that the Marquette product is going to begin the season as Arizona's starting center in light of incumbent starting C Mark Williams recovering from a labrum injury.
Ighodaro is continually improving in various aspects of the game, so the general expectation should be to see further improvement in areas he already excels in at the very least.
Expect the 6'11" big man to play in a vast majority of the 82 games, continue growing as an overall playmaker/hub on the block, and to hone in on some excellent defensive tendencies.
What is Area of Improvement for Arizona Native?
The clearest area that the third-year rising star needs to focus on is rebounding. Phoenix is facing a clear gap in this department with the absence of Williams.
While Ighodaro isn't the weakest defender on the block in the NBA, his efforts (particularly on the defensive side of the ball) leave something to be desired.
Beyond this, Ighodaro's general lack of an outside game on offense has a chance to further raise eyebrows. There's a chance that Ighodaro needs to develop at least a mid-range game to compensate for key losses in Phoenix's efforts in the floor-spacing department.
If not, there's a very real possibility that Duke alum Khaman Maluach takes on a role that entails playing in high-leverage moments over Ighodaro. The latter's passing and rim protection prowess can only do so much damage when other limitations are very much in focus.
There's no doubt that this is a crucial season ahead for Ighodaro's ceiling, ideal spot on the court, and role in Phoenix to be determined. Only time will tell whether these questions are answered to a great extent in the season ahead.
