Time is of the essence, and Oso Ighodaro's 44 minutes secured the Phoenix Suns' 123-112 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Friday.
Defeating the top-ranked team in the Eastern Conference is something Kevin Durant and Devin Booker knew would be tough. However, roughly 60-90 minutes before the game, the center position looked different than it did once the game commenced.
Initially, Nick Richards was supposed to be starting, but he tweaked his right calf during his pregame warmup. Then, Richards was ruled out and Ighodaro stepped in.
After playing a total of 21 minutes in February, he played a career-high 44 minutes during the win. Numerous times, he played in the pick-and-roll as a defender, switching, communicating, and altering shots. Ighodaro's energy was infectious and something the two superstars fed off of all night.
Booker knew that immediately, even as soon as the Suns drafted him in the second round. Fast forward to game 71 and that sentiment remains. However, Booker loved what the former Marquette basketball center was doing with his chances to play.
Devin Booker on Oso Ighodaro: "He's taking advantage of his opportunity – something that he's been waiting on, something that he's been communicating and talking, even when he hasn't been in the rotation….He asks a lot of questions I feel he already knows the answer to" pic.twitter.com/SkTGO5lRrv
— PHNX Suns (@PHNX_Suns) March 22, 2025
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“He's taking advantage of his opportunity, something that he's been waiting on,” Booker said. “Something he's been communicating and talking about even when he hasn't been in the rotation.
“Just the willingness to learn and wanting to learn on top of what he already knows. He asked a lot of questions that I feel he already knows the answer to, but it's reassurance, so it's good.
Throughout the season, Ighodaro has caught the attention of the Suns' Big 3. Most notably, Durant has had plenty of positive things to say during a tumultuous season.
Devin Booker, Kevin Durant praise Suns' Oso Ighodaro
Phoenix Suns center Oso Ighodaro (4) dunks over Cleveland Cavaliers guard Darius Garland (10) as Phoenix Suns forward Kevin Durant (35) screams during the second half at Footprint Center.
© Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images
The trust between the rookie center and the two superstars has blossomed. Much of it came to fruition during Friday's win against the Cavs.
The stone-faced Ighodaro has an almost eerie calmness to his game. That's something that usually takes a good amount of time to develop.
Regardless, the four-year Marquette standout has plenty of basketball experience on his side. Durant saw that for the 44 minutes that Ighodaro was out on the floor.
I asked Kevin Durant about Oso Ighodaro’s defensive impact while playing 44 minutes tonight.
“As a center, you are the most important when it comes to anchoring the defense, setting screens for your teammates, finishing plays at the rim.”#SunsUp pic.twitter.com/lkIPIeYGQY
— Hayden Cilley (@HaydenCilley) March 22, 2025
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“I just like the demeanor of the game,” Durant said. “He's in the right position, he's battling, he's going to contest shots at the rim. He's just playing his hardest. You can live with mistakes when guys play extremely hard. He wants the best for the team and you can feel that.
“As a center, you are the most important when it comes to anchoring the defense. Set screens for your teammates, finishing plays at the rim, finishing plays on defense with a rebound. So you got an important job, and you got to pretty much be communicating with your whole team throughout the whole game. He's good at that.”
Having a future Hall of Famer talk about Ighodaro's role is something the rookie will take to heart. Durant has mentioned throughout the season how Ighodaro wants to be better, and the hard work is starting to pay off.
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In particular, though, there is one man who truly relished the rookie's opportunity.
Mike Budenholzer added more praise to Oso Ighodaro
Some of the discussion around the Suns' lack of success was playing their two rookies. They were fluctuating in and out of the lineup in February. It left many disheveled and discontent with the state of the team and head coach Mike Budenholzer.
Since March began, however, that hasn't been the case. Ighodaro and fellow Suns rookie Ryan Dunn have been arguably the two most important pieces to the team. Phoenix has won four of its last five games, and they have the duo to thank.
Budenholzer made the move and decided to stick with the first-year man. After logging 44 minutes, Budenholzer was asked what the decision was to play Ighodaro that many minutes. He let out a smile and gave quite a descriptive answer.
.@HaydenCilley asked Mike Budenholzer about Oso Ighodaro playing 44 minutes: "He's shown a unique ability where he doesn't seem to get winded or tired….We scheduled to give him a few more breaks, but he was just playing so good, we just kind of stuck with him" pic.twitter.com/4CFRMgG4gu
— Gerald Bourguet (@GeraldBourguet) March 22, 2025
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“He's shown a unique ability where he doesn't seem to get winded or tired,” Budenholzer said. “He plays at such a great pace. I think mentally, he's just very calm. He understands and sees the game so there's not a lot of wasted energy mentally.
“We scheduled to give him a few more breaks, but he's just playing so good, we just kind of stuck with him.”
On the defensive side, the Cavs were aiming to switch every screen. Even though Darius Garland and Donovan Mitchell are an elite backcourt, Oso Ighodaro showed his true colors.
He was disciplined, and tenacious, and picked great spots. He made life uneasy for the superstar backcourt. Budenholzer wanted to acknowledge that guarding those two isn't an easy task.
“Nothing you do against Garland and Mitchell is effortless,” Budenholzer said. “It takes a lot of discipline from him. It takes a lot of sitting down in a stance and being up to take away the threes off the dribble, it takes a ton of effort.
“Oso gave it to us for 44, all night. He was great.”
The Suns take on the Milwaukee Bucks on Monday, With Richards' injury status unknown, Ighodaro could be in line for another big-minute game.