Today, interior players play an increasingly important role in the animation of offensive systems. To last in the NBA, a big man can no longer be satisfied with finishing with a dunk, grabbing rebounds, or, for some, shooting three-pointers.
He must now be able to read the game, distribute passes, and create opportunities for his teammates. Oso Ighodaro seems to be in tune with this evolution. Let’s analyze this aspect during the last two games against the Nets.
What Oso Ighodaro’s rookie numbers reveal about his offensive potential
When discussing a player’s development, I like to conduct a statistical retrospective. In the case of Oso Ighodaro, we will only focus on his rookie season.
In terms of creation, even with his limited playing time, I found his rookie season interesting. He was primarily used as a finisher, but flashes of a modern interior playmaker profile were already visible. Statistically, nothing flashy in most metrics, but there are still a few that stand out.
Last season, he ranked in the top 10% in quick decision-making, particularly distinguishing himself with his ability to read the game and make decisions quickly, whether in PnR, DHO, or Short Roll. He’s a reactive and cerebral big man who, due to his quick decision-making, competes with some guards or more experienced bigs.
He’s not just a good passer for a big man; he’s a full-fledged creator. His passes are accurate, often well-timed (91st percentile in passing efficiency), and he enhances the cuts and off-ball movements of his teammates.
He fluidifies the offensive play, particularly from the head of the key, where he can initiate complex sets thanks to his fast and precise play (95th percentile in Quick Decision-Making Pass). His passes are mostly decisive as he generates scoring through passes better than 75% of NBA players (Quick Decision-Making Assist), a skill still to be developed but nonetheless interesting; he needs to create more and be decisive “off-system.”
Finally, to conclude this statistical section, Oso is a reliable and disciplined center who manages to limit turnovers. When the system is in place, he rarely sabotages a possession with a bad pass or poor decision-making. He is already an accomplished player at a young age in half-court play (94th percentile in Bad Pass Turnovers/75 and 88th in Dead Ball Turnovers/75).
NBAE via Getty Images
Oso Ighodaro embodies the modern big: quick-minded, efficient in hand. His analytical profile highlights an intelligent, fluid, and disciplined player capable of connecting actions, maintaining pace, and maximizing possessions. But beware, there are still areas of improvement, particularly regarding risk-taking and his ability to sustain such a level in a larger role.
If he manages to increase his creation volume while maintaining this cleanliness, particularly this season when he can aspire to a real role in the rotation, he could become a high-level offensive hub in a moving system (as Jordan Ott desires). That is exactly the type of profile the Suns need to fluidify their half-court play.
War of Macao
Enough talk about numbers, it’s time to focus on the game now, and his offensive role in the Macao war against the Nets. We saw him in a role as an offensive initiator, almost like a ball handler:
On the first possession of the video, we see him attack the defensive switch following a quick screen by Grayson Allen. The defense is disrupted, Claxton didn’t follow, and the guard finds himself alone at 90°.
Then — we still have this Oso-Allen connection — Ighodaro continues to work as an initiator and fakes the DHO, Grayson goes around him and receives a pocket pass from his big man that puts him in a good position to drive.
On the last possession, an off-ball action between the two guards, Brooks sets a 45° screen before popping to the top of the key. Oso reads it well and delivers a good pass to the forward.
In these three possessions where Ighodaro was put in an initiator role, only one ends in a basket, but all three are well executed, in terms of reading, positioning, and pass quality.
I also liked the quality of his decision-making on Short Roll:
In both clips, it’s almost the same pattern: quick screen by Oso, who takes advantage of the fact that the ball handler draws the hedge to find himself alone in the middle of the defense, a brief moment of fixation with his gaze or the dribble, pass to the baseline cutter who ends up with an easy shot under the basket.
These are small things, but when put together, they could already, on one hand, greatly facilitate the team’s offensive movement, and, on the other hand, relieve our ball handlers (who are becoming rare in the team).
Oso Ighodaro will probably not revolutionize the Suns’ offense by himself, but he perfectly embodies what the team needs to cultivate: movement, reading, and fluidity. In a roster that has often been stagnant around individual talent, he can become that discreet glue in the rotation that allows for collective play to flow.