Last season, when Oso Ighodaro’s case was discussed, it was mostly through projection, anticipation, or uncertainty about his future role within the roster. Some saw a player with far too many visible limitations (no shooting range, poor free-throw shooting, a game that felt too predictable), while others viewed him as a potential offensive spark thanks to his passing, basketball IQ, respectable finishing, and intriguing defensive profile.
This season, after logging nearly 20 minutes in virtually every game so far (41 out of 41, the only player to do so alongside O’Neale and Gillespie), Oso has established himself as a real option in Jordan Ott’s rotations, and rightfully so, given the positive impact he’s had on the team.
Phoenix_Offensive_Hub.exe
In NBA terminology, a glue guy is a player who doesn’t chase the spotlight or the box score (or simply doesn’t have the need or the talent to do so), but who holds everything together. In Oso’s case, he’s the team’s interior connector, an offensive “hub”. He is the one who smooths possessions, stabilizes lineups through his impact, and fills the gaps others leave behind. Offensively, he acts as a relay, a facilitator. Defensively, he communicates, directs, compensates, and strengthens schemes through discipline and mobility alone.
Ighodaro won’t win games by himself, but without a solid performance from him, the team rarely truly wins.
He continues to make the game easier for everyone around him. I already touched on this during his rookie season, noting that despite the small sample size, he was already a big capable of initiating or contributing to systems like DHOs, pick-and-rolls, or cuts, with notable efficiency and cleanliness. This season, however, he’s reached another level on those actions. And we can say it plainly now: he’s an elite big in that context, a profile that elevates everything around him.
This is illustrated by his 50% efficiency on Cuts & Dump-Offs (99th percentile), a sign of near-automatic effectiveness whenever he cuts or is fed in the short roll. His influence shows most clearly in the work that’s often overlooked: 5.56 screen assists per 75 possessions (98th percentile) and a screening talent in the 96th percentile, confirming him as a screen-setter who creates real advantage for others. That intelligence also shows up in his shot selection, with a rim shot quality in the 99.8th percentile, meaning he almost exclusively takes extremely high-value shots.
Highly involved in collective creation, he finishes 25% of his possessions in Pick & Roll/Pop/Slip situations (93rd percentile), while posting an offensive impact luck in the 92nd percentile. This suggests a favorable context, but more importantly, a player whose structural skills amplify the overall efficiency of the offense. That was already true last season, but now it’s honestly wild to have a player with this level of maturity on the roster.
A Mature Playmaker
Among roll-and-cut bigs, Oso Ighodaro’s playmaking clearly stands above the norm for his role, without ever tipping into forced creation. He ranks in very high percentiles for assist consistency (82.9th) and assist points consistency (85.7th), highlighting a player whose reads are reliable and whose impact shows up night after night. His passing creation volume (85.7th) and potential assists per 100 passes (85.7th) confirm that he’s not just swinging the ball; he’s generating real opportunities, often near the rim, with solid passing efficiency (82.9th percentile).
Where he truly separates himself is in Pick & Roll creation rate (100th percentile), an absolute ceiling for this archetype, showing just how dangerous he is in the short roll and two-man game. Without being an on-ball hub (low gravity and zero box creation due to his near-nonexistent spacing), Ighodaro embodies modern functional playmaking: few dribbles, consistently good decisions, and maximum collective impact in the most valuable offensive zones. And it’s worth repeating: he’s a 23-year-old sophomore, not a veteran in his thirties.
A Note on Collective Impact
Speaking as a fan, I love him. The team has to keep him, develop him, and keep playing him, because it’s not like his overall impact on the game and team results is anything but positive. When he’s on the floor, the Suns score 6.4 more points per 100 possessions, translating to an expected +15 wins, excellent value for his role. But where he really stands out is on defense: opponents’ eFG% drops by 3.4 points, and their offensive rebounding rate by 4.4.
An Implacable Defender?
And yes, let’s talk about Oso’s defense. We’ve all noticed it by now, but on this side of the floor, he’s become a highly versatile player, which was to be expected given his physical profile. He can close out quickly on shooters, manage pick-and-rolls primarily in drop coverage, position himself intelligently between passing lanes to disrupt or deny them, switch or provide help against guards, as seen recently against Cade Cunningham, and finish it all with strong interior defense built on excellent body control and positioning, allowing him to consistently contest shots.
In 2026, Oso Ighodaro has established himself as a complete, clean, and disruptive defender, capable of impacting the game in multiple ways. He posts a STOP% of 3.5%, reflecting a consistent ability to end opposing possessions, and generates 2.5 steals per 100 possessions, a testament to his reading of the game. He’s also active in passing lanes, with 5 deflections per 100 possessions, half of which turn into steals.
His vertical activity remains solid, with 1.4 blocks and 0.9 recovered balls on blocks, for a 65% recovery rate. Near the rim, he contests more than 10 shots per 100 possessions with impressive effectiveness: opponents shoot 5.4% worse against him, and he saves 1.1 points per 100 possessions on those plays. All of this without overcommitting. His foul rate on contests remains stable around 12%. A versatile, disciplined, and invaluable defender.
Oso Ighodaro does exactly what’s needed, and that’s precisely why his profile is so valuable. In my view, there’s no need for an elite rim protector or a three-level scorer when you have a player who understands priorities. The team is functional largely because of him. I don’t think his ceiling is among the highest in the league, but his floor is light-years ahead of many players in the same role.
He won’t make the highlights, but he helps you win games in January…and maybe in May. In the end, contributing to collective success is all you ask of a glue guy. And that’s exactly what Oso does.
