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By Payne Moses
Many 22-year-olds fresh out of college seek a sense of direction. For the Phoenix Suns’ Ryan Dunn and Oso Ighodaro, their calling is clear and twofold: self-improvement and leadership.
With the NBA franchise selecting Duke’s Khaman Maluach, 18, with its highest draft pick (No. 10) and plenty of other unsettled pieces, Dunn and Ighodaro may be asked to mature quickly in their respective sophomore seasons.
“I was a leader at Marquette, and I feel like that’s when I’m at my best,” Ighodaro said recently following practice at Verizon 5G Performance Center. “Just having a little bit more confidence now that I went through my rookie year. I still don’t know everything, but (I’m) just trying to step into that role for sure.”
On top of the three youthful additions in this year’s draft – Rasheer Fleming (No. 31) and Koby Brea (No. 41) joining Maluach – the Suns officially parted ways with Kevin Durant, 15-time NBA All-Star, Sunday. The absence of Durant leaves the keys firmly in Devin Booker’s hands but makes those with even one year of experience playing for Planet Orange that much more valuable.
“Learning to fail, I think that’s the biggest thing for me, and learning turning the ball over is OK,” Dunn said. “Not having that pressure that I need to make the right play.”
Both Dunn and Ighodaro claimed to have put on 10-15 pounds during their first full NBA offseason. Ighodaro said the added weight hasn’t prevented him from being the “fastest on the team.”
Unlike heading to Las Vegas for NBA Summer League as wide-eyed rookies, this time around Dunn and Ighodaro have one-track minds.
“First (objective) is to win,” Dunn said. “You want to come out and compete and play hard. That’s what we want to build this culture on.”
Ighodaro believes that “you build winning habits right now. We’re going to guard, fly around, have each other’s backs. So, I’m excited.”
Ighodaro, who is listed right at 7 feet, demonstrated his defensive prowess with eight multi-block games and complemented that by shooting 60.4% from the field last season. Dunn, whose University of Virginia draft profile screamed defensive specialist, disrupted his fair share of opposing offenses – not even a local YMCA kid was immune to his instinctual rim protection during a Jr. Suns camp Monday, which he blocked a shot and playfully stared down the shooter.
Khaman Maluach with the kids at YMCA.
Ryan Dunn block incoming. #Suns pic.twitter.com/NwkUtxAjOW
— Duane Rankin (@DuaneRankin) July 7, 2025
DeMarre Carroll, former NBA player turned coach in 2022, has seen the duo make strides as “true professionals” even within two pre-Vegas practices.
“The way they play with force,” said Carroll, who was named a Suns assistant coach in June and will lead the summer league squad. “Both of them play with force on both ends of the court. That’s going to help them. If they can carry that over … should be bright future(s) for those guys.”
After prioritizing his body’s physique and upping his speed, Dunn said his 3-point shot has certainly been an emphasis. In two years in college, the 6-8 forward only took 51 3-pointers. In one year with the Suns, he was encouraged to test his long-range skills on 264 attempts (31% shooting).
“Shooting, obviously trying to get that more consistent,” Dunn said. “There’s catch and shoot a little bit off the dribble, finishing at the rim, ball handling. Now it’s just … getting live play.”
For Dunn this summer, it’s been about offensive efficiency. For Ighodaro, it’s increasing his vocal leadership.
Their teammates have been pushing them – that’s a given. But Jordan Ott, Phoenix’s fourth head coach in four years, has been on the frontlines since his hiring on June 6.
Ighodaro said he and Dunn have been doing two-a-day workouts all summer and they consistently find Ott still hard at work in the training facility at 8 or 9 p.m. when they return.
“Just love seeing that,” Ighodaro said. “He’s out here running individuals and all types of stuff. I think being a leader, like showing you’re in it with us and not just saying you’re going to work hard but actually doing, it’s been really great to see.”
“Lack of sleep doesn’t really exist,” said Ott, a first-time NBA head coach who got his first coaching chops with the Brooklyn Nets from 2016-2022. “You know what you sign up for.”
Before joining the Suns, Carroll had followed Ott to his previous two gigs with the Los Angeles Lakers (2023-24) and Cleveland Cavaliers (2024-25). Their relationship dates back to Brooklyn (2017-19), however, as Carroll credits Ott with reviving the back end of his playing career, which ended in 2020.
The same shooting advice that Ott gave to him back then – “no shot in the NBA is a repetitive shot” – Carroll is passing on this summer league.
“Every NBA player, when you get to that end, you think you still got it,” Carroll said. “But sometimes you got to help the next generation.
“(Young players) are going to make mistakes. … I always live by the quote, ‘Hard work is the talent.’ So, if you work hard, you can kind of limit some of the mistakes but, at the same time, just go out there and compete, have fun with this.”
At 6 p.m. Friday against the Washington Wizards, the waiting will be over for Dunn and Ighodaro.
It will be time to lace up those shoes and put the offseason grind to the test – even if Ighodaro doesn’t “personally like Vegas” due to the unholy amount of noise surrounding the city. Four of Ighodaro’s former Marquette teammates – David Joplin and Tyler Kolek among them – will be there to dispel any distasteful ambiance.
“I’m just excited for the opportunity to play again,” Ighodaro said. “It’s been a while.”