Phoenix Suns Select Oso Ighodaro To Cap Off Impressive NBA Draft Haul

Phoenix Suns Select Oso Ighodaro To Cap Off Impressive NBA Draft Haul

today on locked on suns the Phoenix Suns made another move in the second round of the NBA draft jumping up to pick 40 to draft Oso igodo the hometown kid from the University of Marquette I’ll break down his game give you my final son’s draft grade for all the moves they made this week and summarize what exactly this roster looks like after the first and second rounds let’s go you are locked on suns your daily Phoenix Suns podcast part of the locked on podcast Network your team every day and we’re back this is lockon Phoenix Suns part of the lockon podcast Network your team every day I’m Brendan clean your host and a credential media member covering the Suns for the past seven seasons as well as the host of the just basketball show Welcome in thank thank you for making locked on suns your first list in to kickoff your Friday to close out draft week here hit follow hit subscribe if you have not already we are free and available everywhere including YouTube so hit that button you’ll get an A new episode in your feed every single Monday through Friday get locked on to the Phoenix Suns every single day all offseason long become an every dayer start your morning here with the Pod today’s episode brought to you by Game Time download the game time app create an account use the code locked on NBA when you do to get $20 off your first purchase terms apply all right Oso uodo quickly to recap how the Suns acquired this player they went into the whole the whole draft with just pick 22 they end up after night one with Ryan Dunn of Virginia and the 56th pick for moving back as well as a couple of extra seconds they cash in one of the seconds they actually already had from previous deals plus that 56th pick to move up to 40 and they select igodo so he um is from Chandler grew up in Mesa went to Desert Vista and then uh departed out to Marquette to play college basketball four-year player um we’ll turn 22 in three weeks or so here and physically uh measured at about 69 a half at the combine 611 wingspan so a little you know in in terms of that a little bit on the small end you could say but somebody that you know nevertheless is a center I think in in the NBA he is going to play the center position I am I’m trying to get uh his weight at the combine and I will have to uh here we go uh okay not there that’s all right he is um 222 lbs in college he was listed at 205 so maybe he’s put on on a little bit of muscle that’s one of the knocks on him as well but let’s start with the positives before we get to the physical profile and sort of the defensive questions I also have a comp from for igodo not so much because I’ve studied the dude a ton but just to kind of get your mind going in the right direction but the offensive feel is far in away the thing that makes this guy a prospect worth worth drafting um he was a legitimate hub for Marquette coin incidentally played alongside a guy we thought we we we guessed for most of the draft season might be headed to Phoenix which was Tyler KCK at Marquette and they had a great Synergy and a lot of that came from madarao’s ability to to operate you know be smart with the screening and the rolling aspect but also have the ball in his hands and pick out Cutters and and you know play a real Twan game with kic not just be the guy freeing up the ball handler but actually be involved in the action he had last season as a senior in total 105 assists and just 64 turnovers the previous year that ratio was even better he had 119 assists just 58 turnovers which was good for a better than a 2 to1 ratio I andan that’s you know there’s point guards there’s young point guards in the NBA and in college who can’t clear that and uh again per 40 minutes three and a half assists so it’s not like it was a tiny uh volume there so feels there the comfort you know I’m not saying he’s going to be a a point Center out there but the Comfort to have the ball in space and be able to to you know put the ball on the ground and make the right decision more often than not that’s that’s there and he’s older so you would think that that can probably translate to some degree in the NBA it honestly you know this is a conversation to have as the summer keeps rolling I’m not going to talk too too much about the big picture right now but I would say frankly getting igodo as one of the guys that’s a backup option here kind of makes me feel more like the suns are going to keep use of nurkic if I’m being honest because you could just very easily see the things that nkuch is good at igodo is in large part also good at so there’s be there would be some continuity from starting to backup in a scenario like that the Suns told us they were keeping all their starters and so maybe take him at their word we’ll see but he has some similarities is the point now the questions okay so again his physical profile I know I took a million years to get to his height or his weight on that but again measured at six 69 and a half without shoes at the combine which is solid um considering that at Marquette he was only listed at 69 with shoes this is a good measurement um you know if he’s in shoes in the NBA which you know they play in shoes in case you forgot he’ll be like 611 uh maybe 611 and a half closer to 7 feet problem is if there is one in addition to the you know pH the the the bulk and the the weight side of things is the wingspan only six and 611 you know you compare that to let’s talk just some of the guys that for instance were available in the sun’s range of the first round kle we measured at 611 and 3/4 without shoes so a little taller but a 75 wingspan you know and so frankly a a better kind of funny thing to compare this to is Ryan Dunn the sun’s first round pick has a seven one and a half wingspan which is about two inches longer than the center that they just drafted so hey for all I know maybe Ryan dun’s going to play some Center when all this is said and done but that’s kind of the situation right so I think defensively it’s not that he you look at a lot of smaller guys and it’s like oh they can only switch I no I think he’s tall enough he’s long enough his athleticism is good enough that he will be able to play some drop coverage he will be able to play different ways as a defensive player at the center position um from what it seems like and he did that at Marquette his block rate was fine not scary bad or anything but also not Elite so we’ll see that’s going to be the side of the floor that I think is a is a is the biggest issue for him he also doesn’t shoot threes or anything like that so you know the playmaking the feel the finishing those have to really be top of the top in order for him to make a difference on the offensive end but if if he can and he can stay on the floor you could very much see the mobility the athleticism the feel the passing the playmaking the chemistry he could develop with a lot of players on this roster being a positive but again you know post defense defensive rebounding against if that was a question against Big East competition you’re talking about in the Western Conference it’s it’s Rudy goar it’s Carl Anthony towns it’s Nicole yic it’s you know even Derek Lively now that is uh it’s Anthony Davis that’s going to be a challenge um my comp to get there before we jump to grades uh for all this a grade for all of this is just again from Reading from watching some stuff in the few hours since the draft wrapped it feels like a more recent example Le I don’t think Al Horford makes a lot of sense I know young Al Horford was more athletic than this version where he just spaces the floor and makes threes but I thought of Trace Jackson Davis from um I believe he went to Indiana right he’s with the Warriors now of course and little taller couple inches taller than than igodo is so that goes a long way of course but somebody who may not be an elite rebounder may not be you know has some ways you can exploit him on the defensive end and can’t shoot or anything but he carved out a niche with golden state pretty quickly and was able to get some minutes be productive looks like a role play looks like a rotation player in the NBA he went in the 50s last year so you know somewhat of a similar pedigree as well so we’ll see he feels like somebody who could excel at Summer League just cuz anyone who has feel in summer league just kind of s cuz they’re not making mistakes and running around like uh like lunatics like some of the guys are but um this is a real team now for summer league so it’ll be a nice chance to see all these guys let’s get to my grade for the done pick the trade back and the trade back up to get igodo coming up next first Today’s Show brought to you by the game time app my favorite place to buy any ticket that I need game time is an authorized ticket Marketplace of Major League Baseball which makes getting tickets faster and easier prices on the game time app even go down closer to first pitch that it gets I love baseball during the summer I think that’s the most obvious thing I’ve ever said but the Dbacks are getting it back together hopefully can put a little bit of buying together around the deadline and make it even more worth our while but game time’s the place to be no matter what you’re going to concerts comedy theater more plus of course wonderful Sports they also have upfront Allin pricing views from your seat photographs in the app and a whole bunch of deals all the time take out the guest work when you’re buying MLB tickets this summer with Game Time download the game time app create an account use the code locked on NBA for $20 off your first purchase terms apply again create an account redeem the code l c k d o n NBA for $20 off your first purchase download game time today last minute tickets lowest price guaranteed okay let’s dive into my Gade so in to recap the Suns open the draft with the 22nd overall pick and that’s it they lost their second round pick for tampering with Drew EU Banks last summer oops so they did not have a second we get to Midway through the first round they trade back from 22 to 28 Denver selects another local kid drron Holmes with the 22nd overall pick the Suns get the 28th pick where Denver originally was they also get the 56th pick in the second round and two future seconds in 20206 and 2031 today on Thursday they trade that 2026 pick as well as the 56th pick that they got in the second round to move up again to 40 pretty good value to pick to trade two picks um sorry I said that incorrectly the other second that they traded in addition to the 20 to the 56th pick on Thursday was a Boston pick and that’s where some of the confusion came into play and it’s I’m not going to bore you with it but suddenly it felt like the Suns had the 51st overall pick we had no idea why gambo reported out of kind of nowhere that the Suns on Wednesday night during the first round had actually traded a future Boston pick that they had for the 51st pick and just nobody said a peep about it but then the sun’s official press release said that the the pick that moved in the deal was not 51 this year but actually just that original Boston pick in the first place so I’m going to just say it’s a wash and they don’t have that Boston pick they don’t obviously have the 56th pick because they didn’t make a pick there and uh they got uodo so there we go they get done at 28 they get igodo here they still at their disposal have both of those Denver picks that they got in the tradeback as well as their own 2031 second round pick I believe that’s it so we talked about done with Stephen on Thursday nights or on Thursday’s show Wednesday night into Thursday morning and I told you I think think um you know having a Surefire skill late in the first round you have to feel good about that no matter what right I mean I can go to pass drafts and I always think that’s you know not not everything is one to one but I always like to do it let’s look in the 20s of last year’s draft cam Whitmore okay exception to the rule he fell Noah Clowney kind of the stretch four he could shoot okay Derek Whitehead Chris Murray those are kind of toolsy wings same with Olivier maxon’s Prosper Marcus Sasser kind of a bucket getter but under siiz Shepard Ben Shepard who played in the playoffs he could shoot so there’s a skill Nick Smith kind of a a combo doit all guard Bryce Sensa Julian St another shooter and then Kobe Brown kind of another Do-it all guy so I don’t look there and see any one skill that’s as good as what the Suns got um in Dunn’s defense now the offense is just as big of a question but it’s a bet right it’s a bet that whether it’s maybe playing some small ball Center at least on the offensive end and having spacing all around him or it’s you know developing as enough of a spot up shooter but maybe you know facilitator screener kind of creative offensive weapon allows him to stay on the court enough enough you’re not talking about you know Dunn being a starter anytime soon soon but can you do that stuff and the starting point is good with igodo I mean I just broke down his game but let’s do the same exercise I mentioned Trace Jackson Davis that is a unique example but big men in the second round who have made an impact it you know we got to be honest and say that it is kind of a crapshoot right you’re talking about um you know who even got drafted last year Ryan ruper from Portland kill the Suns in that one game hunter Tyson not so much of like a center but a forward didn’t really play for Denver last year and you know okay so if you look at 2020 two as far as big men go in the second round you’re looking at it’s just rare okay it’s just rare to even Christian Koko from Toronto who had heart issues with of course went to U OFA maybe he’s a comp you can kind of look at not not with the the of course not with the issues and that was very sad situation but similar Prospect it felt like where it’s like size questions and you know whatever but Talent so there you go I will also throw in that the sons have appeared to appear to have agreed to a deal with an undrafted free agent in Jaylen Bridges who on a two-way contract which is the fir you know sh shout out Matt ispia frankly every year when the suns were bad and I was a big draft person back then I mean I even reported and did stories on the draft for non Suns related Outlets just because I got so into it and I love it and every year I would get hyped up about players and I would want to see them here in Phoenix and you know kind of second round undrafted free agent type guys and you know when you’re a big draft nerd you you hype you you get hyped up about those players and then never signed any of them there’s that Rush immediately when the draft ends always of this guy that guy that guy all these deals that get made and the Suns never participated in it I don’t know why they just sat it out and then they would waste their two-way spots and everything else so I’m not here to tell you that Jaylen bridg is going to be some kind of um you know amazing player I you know he’s just as much of a wild card as anybody s Vini had him at 52 um let’s see Kevin o Conor had him at 46 but if you remember during my ideal off seon I had Bridges as a guy for the Suns to take at pick 22 oh I’m sorry at pick 42 which was a madeup thing that the Suns of course actually did never had but it was a deal that I cooked up related to um Yousef nurkic and going to Charlotte and then the Suns getting the 42nd pick that the Hornets had and I I just kind of used Bridges as like a placeholder but but in reality look I mean he kind of has the the the three and D mold and he his name Bridges which doesn’t hurt you know uh shout out you know male heads out there but fiveyear player at at Baylor he is uh 23 years old already in his most recent season his his super senior season he red shirted as a freshman the co Year 41% from deep and 6 eight uh 67 so I’m going to include that in my grade I I think and he has a 610 wingspan I think that’s a really smart thing to do to snatch up somebody who very very much could have been a second round pick maybe should have been a second round pick and get him on a two-way immediately not any of this training camp deal and whatever but to commit to him bring him in he’ll play Summer League he’ll be available to the NBA Squad as well as most likely getting a lot of run in Tempe with the g-league team I love it so that’s not going to sway the grade to like you know a whole letter or something but another nice little thing so I’m going to go with the B+ here I I think and I’m really looking at this in large part from a value standpoint and from a need standpoint right we know that the Suns needed wing and Center depth they would have liked to have a point guard maybe my my grade will change in hindsight if they are not able to get a playmaker which they want in free agency or if they get a kind of a weak option there maybe I’ll look back and say it would have been good to have Kik but look they got they clearly liked d a lot he brings size on the wing and point of attack defense against guards and forwards Bridges provides another bite at the Apple to do the same thing and igodo I I see him probably more as you’re not going into the season saying he’ll be your backup center but I’ve been saying for a while now that part of the sun’s issue last year was not just that Eubanks didn’t pan out but it’s that Eubanks was all they had right even when Aon was on the team it was going to be Aton and Eubanks now they have another guy and I would imagine they’ll add another one in free agency somebody on the minimum maybe in a best case scenario that’s like an Andre Drummond maybe in a you know worst case scenario we’ll see but I like what they did here value wise they still have two extra seconds out of all of this in addition to those three players and addressed a lot of needs with a late first round pick at their disposal and nothing else so I like it we’ll see what the players turn into starting in you know a week or two in Las Vegas I’ll be there covering the team giving you podcasts about it all there so it’s ongoing the grade but I’ll go with the B+ all right close out the show let’s recap where the roster stands now and maybe how this changes anything related to free agency coming up next first Today’s Show brought to you by eBay Motors passion drive and patience the formula for winning championships is also what keeps your ride or die alive that eBay Motors they have everything you need to maintain your vehicle and level it up to Peak Performance whether that’s a super charger roof rack exhaust kit LED headlight and Beyond whether you’re into speed power or style eBay Motors has you covered with with over 122 million parts for your number one ride or die you’ll always find exactly what you’re looking for and with eBay’s guaranteed fit your part is guaranteed to fit your ride every time or your money back because with eBay Motors you’re burning rubber not cash with all the parts you need at the prices you want it’s easy to make your car the MVP and bring home huge wins keep your ride or ey alive at ebaymotors.com eligible items only exclusion Supply eBay guaranteed fit only available to us customers alrighty roster shout out to spot track which is really up there game on the NBA side I used to avoid it because it was messy and didn’t have all the info in one place now it does so I’m looking there the Suns have nine players under contract officially they have Durant Beal Booker nerkish Allen little aogi Rody Damen Lee now uh aogi and Damen Lee have not officially opted in those deadlines are on the 29th so Saturday we’ll see about that um but let’s just let’s count Lee in and let’s just start with the kogi they also have cap holds for Royce O’Neal who we expect will come back Ryan Dunn who is unsigned here and then of course igodo and bridges on a two-way so they have two more two-way spots left and let’s say leops in O’Neal comes back and Dunn is on the roster that takes us to 11 players but let’s start with the kogi um because I will just start off by saying that I feel like the done acquisition makes it and frankly the bridges flyer makes it less likely to me that the Suns will use aogi that much now it’s a player option it’s not a team option so it’s not up to them if aogi just is kind of canvasing the market here getting the you know Whispers through the grape vine and he doesn’t feel like there’s an offer on the table for him Elsewhere for guaranteed money and a guaranteed roster spot you know he is 26 now he’s been in the league for quite a while at this point and you know every team’s going to have the same questions we all have about him then he might just say I’m opting in and I I want my money maybe the Suns buy him out you know Midway through the year if he’s not playing much or something but it’s up to him I just think dun is going to be ahead of him in the rotation would be my my my guess and you know if nir Little’s healthy if he’s still on the roster David Ry those guys are younger I could even see them playing ahead of him not to mention that Lee is probably you know somebody who could see the court this year so if I’m Josh hogi I’m trying to find a place where I can play a little more maybe that’s just some somewhat from the Sun standpoint of of not saying the need but let’s say he’s gone like I said that brings us to 11 meaning the Suns have four more roster spots it’s really not a lot if you think about it now of course they can trade nkic that’s still on the table um in the fall they can trade Grayson Allen if they so choose they’re not trading The Big Three we’ve never heard any indication to believe that they will be doing that they could trade little but that’ll probably be a one for one type of trade that brings back another player in that same roster spot so you know I’m thinking 11’s the the fewest spots they’re going to have because nurkic could bring back multiple players and Allen could bring back multiple players in a in a in theory so it’s a minimum of 11 meaning they have a maximum of four roster spots and two two-ways left I like the idea of keeping a two-way possibly open for somebody who surprises you on your g-league squad or which they have now of course or on your summer league Squad so I’m all for Bridges being the only guy on that contract and that’s fine I would imagine igodo gets a real contract not a two-way maybe there’s some non- guarantees and whatnot that usually happens with second round picks but I would think he’ll be on a real NBA deal not not a two-way so they have Beal Booker and and I should say part of this whole thing is we talked about Eubanks formally opting out and uh the news came down on Thursday that as expected Eric Gordon officially opted out that’s part of why he wasn’t on the list there so they have Beal Booker Allen and Lee at the guard spots they have on the wing um Rody little O’Neal assuming you know and done and at the big man spot they have nurkic they have uoda I still think it should be a priority to to bring back bullbull that would add you know whether you put him in forward or big man that’s another help helpful piece there to to fill in that depth and now you’re down to three roster spots so my guess is that those spots go to one of them is going to go to a playmaker I would keep an eye on Kyle Lowry I would keep an eye on Chris Dunn one of honestly it might just be down the line one there one at sort of the wing forward area um you know maybe a why am I completely blanking on every name that I’ve ever talked about before by the way Lindy Waters and AJ Griffin got traded for mediocre second round picks today just remember I told you those names at the beginning of the off season they would have been nice fits for the Suns but alas all right wing wise um keep an eye you know names like Kelly Hub although I think he’s going to get paid torian Prince could be an option um Kessler Edwards I’ve brought up before Jeremiah Robinson Earl potentially those types of players and then big man I think that they like I said in that last segment with the igodo stuff I think that they do still need some kind of Center so Andre Drummond would probably be what would be the top of my list also another to remember on the the wing forward trenden Watford my man keep him in mind Center wise Andre Drummond Jericho Sims maybe from the Knicks sandrew Sandro Mamu kashvi former Bud player in Milwaukee Daniel Ty maybe wouldn’t love that uh kind of similar to igodo and now that I’m thinking about it so maybe not him but there you go Mason plumbley that’s kind of how I see this stuff going the questions heading into the weekend are how much does Royce O’Neal sign for do they get bull bull back and what do they do do with the remainder of these three roster spots that’s sort of just the cautious most typical traditional way that this whole thing can go of course the suns are not typical they kept things interesting with the draft and I very much could see that happening when it comes to the weekend and free agency hitting on Sunday the 2030 pick 20301 pick still out there still available and eligible to be traded YF nkit still available and eligible to be traded so we’ll see very curious I got to admit that my goal I’ll just leave you with this my goal heading into the offseason and I’ve said it all along was that if you could walk away from the summer with certainty that you acquired one additional playoff rotation player beyond what you had this past year that would be a success and I think so far across the league really you know Minnesota’s big swing is to trade for a number eight overall pick who weighs like 190 pounds 180 PBS whatever it is so it it’s it shows you how difficult this can be Memphis wants to win they got Zach EDI is he is he that I don’t know I don’t think Dunn or igodo or or jayen Bridge is a two-way player are going to be certain to do that right now you know is Chris Dunn that guy is one of those wings that guy is Andre Drummond that guy certainly could be but you know we’re sort of one big step into the off season now and that has not happened so I would expect uh we have not heard the last swerve on all of this should be fun fireworks as always the NBA is super crazy we love it the sun’s super crazy depends on the day whether we love it that’ll wrap us up though hit follow hit subscribe get another episode I’ll probably do something for Saturday if there’s enough out there if not of course Sunday is when everything gets going so keep it right here I’ll have an episode for you for sure Brandon dwas and I talking it all over I’ll talk to you then for

Oso Ighodaro joined the Phoenix Suns in the 2nd round of the NBA Draft to cap off an impressive night for the team.

Brendon Kleen of @justbasketballfans breaks down Ighodaro’s game, the deals the Suns made to nab him and Ryan Dunn, plus a total grade for the team’s performance including signing Jalen Bridges from Baylor.

JOIN THE LOCKED ON SUNS SUBTEXT COMMUNITY: https://joinsubtext.com/lockedonsuns

📲 Follow Locked On Suns on TikTok
Locked On Suns https://www.tiktok.com/@lockedonphxsuns?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc

📲 Follow Locked On Suns on X
Locked On Suns https://twitter.com/LockedOnPHXSuns
Brendon Kleen https://twitter.com/BrendonKleen14

Follow & Subscribe on all Podcast platforms…
🎧 https://link.chtbl.com/LOSuns?sid=YouTube

Locked On NBA League-Wide: Every Team, Fantasy, Draft, WNBA & More
🎧 https://linktr.ee/LockedOnNBA

📢 Support Us By Supporting Our Sponsors!

LinkedIn
LinkedIn Jobs helps you find the qualified candidates you want to talk to, faster. Post your job for free at LinkedIn.com/LOCKEDONNBA. Terms and conditions apply.

BetterHelp
This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Make your brain your friend, with BetterHelp. Visit BetterHelp.com/LOCKEDONNBA today to get 10% off your first month.

eBay Motors
From brakes to exhaust kits and beyond, eBay Motors has over 122 million parts to keep your ride-or-die alive. With all the parts you need at the prices you want, it’s easy to bring home that big win. Keep your ride-or-die alive at EbayMotors.com. Eligible items only. Exclusions apply. eBay Guaranteed Fit only available to US customers.

PrizePicks
Go to PrizePicks.com/lockedonnba and use code lockedonnba for a first deposit match up to $100!

Gametime
Download the Gametime app, create an account, and use code LOCKEDON for $20 off your first purchase. Terms apply.

FanDuel
FanDuel, America’s Number One Sportsbook. Right now, NEW customers get ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY DOLLARS in BONUS BETS with any winning GUARANTEED That’s A HUNDRED AND FIFTY BUCKS – with any winning FIVE DOLLAR BET! Visit FanDuel.com/LOCKEDON to get started.

FANDUEL DISCLAIMER: 21+ in select states. First online real money wager only. Bonus issued as nonwithdrawable free bets that expires in 14 days. Restrictions apply. See terms at sportsbook.fanduel.com. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER or visit FanDuel.com/RG (CO, IA, MD, MI, NJ, PA, IL, VA, WV), 1-800-NEXT-STEP or text NEXTSTEP to 53342 (AZ), 1-888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org/chat (CT), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN), 1-800-522-4700 (WY, KS) or visit ksgamblinghelp.com (KS), 1-877-770-STOP (LA), 1-877-8-HOPENY or text HOPENY (467369) (NY), TN REDLINE 1-800-889-9789 (TN)

#PhoenixSuns #KevinDurant #DevinBooker #NBA #BradleyBeal