SunsRank: Why Oso Ighodaro is overrated

SunsRank. Always good for debate. Coming in at 14th in the Bright Side writer’s SunsRank is the Phoenix Suns’ most recent draft pick, University of Marquette alum Oso Ighodaro. That’s what he was ranked by the staff, not by me.

As the only one who ranked him last, I think Ighodaro’s CURRENT value to the team lies in perception, over reality. For months, we were told by the likes of Jonathan Givony, Jeremy Woo, and all the other NBA draft junkees that the class of 2024 is weak. We can’t forget that with a few Summer League games, I’m not at least.

Ighodaro is an above-average playmaker for someone his size. His ability to find the open man and read the floor makes him a unique prospect. His passing chops were on display against the Pacers last month:

I’m unsure how fast his passing skills can translate to the pros. Point guards take a few years to get up to league speed, I bet he’ll need the same to see the court as he does now against worse competition.

While impressive and unique, just like rookie Ryan Dunn, his NBA abilities are unactualized. He is a prospect. Unlike Dunn, Ighodaro does not have a clear role he can play himself in. Dunn’s defensive chops and the Suns’ lack of wings give him the potential to make an impact early on.

Ighodaro is not a shooter, and while he is an efficient scorer, averaging 14.4 points per game on almost 61% shooting during his senior year, Mason Plumlee, Jusuf Nurkić, and Bol Bol are all ahead of him in the rotation. Perhaps, if he could consistently space the floor, he would have a role at times, but without a consistent stroke, it makes no sense for a win-now team like the Suns to play him over veterans. At the very least, he does not have a distinct skill that automatically differentiates him from any other Phoenix big or anyone on the Valley’s roster. That may change, but that’s what reality currently is.

Every fan base gets excited for rookies, especially a team like the Suns who haven’t had a first-rounder since 2020. Ighodaro was a second-round pick in a weak draft. Does that mean he’ll be a bad player? No, but it does mean at this point, he has had no time to show us otherwise. Expect to see Ighodaro playing a lot for the Valley Suns this upcoming season.