Suns forward Oso Ighodaro has seen his game blossom in more ways than one in Year 2 of his NBA career, but there’s one intangible that has made most of the difference: intensity.
It is none other than Dillon “Villain” Brooks who has contributed to this change in Ighodaro, a player who has been invaluable in molding Phoenix’s culture in its first year under new top brass.
Ighodaro told Arizona Sports’ Burns & Gambo of how letting out a little steam at Brooks last month in a win over the Golden State Warriors confirmed he was progressing.
“(Brooks) was on me about a play a couple of possessions before … and I was like, ‘I got you, I got you, I got you.'” Ighodaro said of a game in which he matched a career-best 13 rebounds. “He kept poking and kept poking and then I just kind of snapped and lost it on him.
“But we’re just such great competitors and we have such a great respect for each other that we can say whatever we need to in the moment and then the very next play get past it and have each other’s backs.”
“I’ve really been enjoying the team, and the culture and what we’re building.”
Oso Ighodaro joined @BurnsAndGambo to talk about the Suns’ culture this season.
Full interview: t.co/8VJv5Cqf0A pic.twitter.com/eIcoxwiIxS
— Arizona Sports (@AZSports) January 17, 2026
As evidence of this ratcheted up focus, the 6-foot-11 Marquette product had six steals in Thursday’s loss to the Detroit Pistons, the most takeaways by a Sun since Devin Booker matched the feat in November 2022.
Ighodaro’s overall play on both the defensive and offensive end has produced the team’s third-best plus/minus total through 41 games at +115. He only trails Collin Gillespie (+167), who is Brooks’ protege as “Villain Jr.,” and Booker (+150).
A single game that stands out in this regard? The Suns on Nov. 13 outscored the Indiana Pacers by 52 points when Ighodaro was on the court.
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The 23-year-old has already started more games than his rookie campaign (seven to six) and is currently on pace for career marks in minutes (19.7 per game), points (5.4), field goal percentage (61.4%), rebounds (4.3), assists (1.8), blocks (0.6) and steals (one).
Positioning on the floor has been the key for virtually all of his individual improvement from Year 1 to Year 2.
“Just using my advantages, my speed, my quickness, whether that’s getting the screens fast so that it creates pockets for my teammates,” Ighodaro said. “Just using every advantage that I have, every chance that I can get.”
One part of his game that has dropped off slightly, however, has been at the free-throw line.
Ighodaro shot the charity ball at a 58% clip last year and sits at 47.3% in the 2025-26 season. He has upped his frequency at the line a half a shot (0.8 to 1.3), giving himself more looks and practice.
“Man, not (going to try the Rick Barry) underhand free throw, but it’s definitely something that I’m spending a lot of time on and I’m going to continue to work at (it).”
The Chandler native, who played his high school ball at Desert Vista, has yet to miss a game this season, so those free throws should keep coming his way.
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