All you need is the eye test to see how much better the Phoenix Suns play with backup 5 Oso Ighodaro on the floor instead of starter Mark Williams. The numbers back that up, and as the season grows older, the severity of this issue continues to increase, as it did in Tuesday’s 114-103 win over the Sacramento Kings.
Ighodaro starred with a double-double in the first half and ended up at 14 points, 14 rebounds, three assists and a block in 26 minutes, while getting positive impact out of Williams is bordering on a chore now for Phoenix.
On top of Devin Booker’s return, a matchup with lowly Sacramento (14-49) and then a back-to-back in Phoenix against Chicago (25-37) and New Orleans (19-44) offers a needed three-game spurt of an easier runway for Williams to get back on track, as well as Jalen Green. The duo in the last five games was -49 in 86 minutes together, posting a 79.0 offensive rating, over 35 points per 100 possessions under the league average.
Beyond that week-long trend, Phoenix’s defensive metrics have majorly swung in the last two months depending on which big is out there.
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Entering Tuesday, Williams’ presence has produced a 115.8 defensive rating since Dec. 20, a period of 33 Suns games that would have that rating sit 21st leaguewide, according to NBA Stats. When Ighodaro is in, it has been a 106.4 defensive rating that would rank second. Using these analytics as individual representations of a player is irresponsible and that’s not the point. It is instead taking what we can already conclude when watching each game on the team-wide performance and seeing it has a statistical foundation too. The offense, for what it’s worth, goes from 16th with Ighodaro over that span to 26th with Williams.
This comes at a time when the Suns are perhaps uncoincidentally playing their worst basketball of the year.
Since the start of January, a 27-game sample size, the Suns ranked 23rd in offense, per Cleaning the Glass. Go through just the last month since Feb. 1 and it drops to 28th. Crucially, Phoenix’s defensive rating ranks over those two time periods are 13th and 22nd, so the defense in the last four weeks has also taken a major dip. It was honestly fortunate to be 15-12 in 2026 prior to Tuesday given what those types of efficiencies typically yield.
So is it time for a major switchup? Head coach Jordan Ott hardly playing Williams in the second half on Thursday and sitting Green for the closing stretches hinted at him already feeling like that is becoming more and more necessary by the day.
These problems were on display early. There were a combined four turnovers committed on actions involving Green and Williams, who both didn’t get a quality look as well in their first shifts. Phoenix scored 22 points in the opening quarter, with four assists and five giveaways. Sacramento on the other end had eight assists to just one turnover.
While Green would eventually get somewhat rolling, Williams never did until garbage time.
Williams checked back in with 4:43 left in the first half after Ighodaro had played the previous 12:28. Ighodaro looked gassed and like a guy asking for a sub. Ott reluctantly gave it, and only 1:18 later, Ott called Ighodaro’s number back up to sit Williams. There have been long stints of consecutive play for Ighodaro because of Williams’ struggles, and it’s just not sustainable all season. Eventually, Ott will have to explore either No. 10 overall pick Khaman Maluach in small spurts, or some micro-bursts of small-ball.
Williams started the second half and Phoenix was making it even more of a priority to get him the ball. That again did not yield good results. It’s unfortunately not that simple. While it’s yet another great sign of how connected the Suns are, that they would look to activate Williams in that way knowing how badly he needs it, there was some desperation within those attempts. Desperation to that degree in basketball can become infectious.
Phoenix forced four turnovers, though, and got a few extra tries via offensive rebounds that were thanks to some lifeless Kings bodies. The Suns finally opened up the game from there, going up 13 off a 14-0 run in the mid-third quarter.
Some fantastic energy from rookie second-round pick Rasheer Fleming, who held his rotation spot after a fantastic outing on Thursday, created the type of separation you’d expect against a squad as soulless as the Kings at the moment.
An underrated source of joy as a NBA fan and basketball purist is when you see a young player begin the process of stacking winning plays on top of each other, and Fleming has now provided us that feeling in back-to-back games.
A stretch of 9-straight points from Rasheer Fleming, reaping the benefits of his impact tagging up.
Offensive rebound to relocation 3’s, impact player in the process. pic.twitter.com/geTrXJ7olf
— Stephen PridGeon-Garner ? (@StephenPG3) March 4, 2026
Williams’ final line was 10 points and eight rebounds in 22 minutes.
This has developed beyond a short-term problem. Williams’ severe stagnation over the last two months inspires questions of if the Suns should even re-sign the restricted free agent this summer, with his play and the risk of a big-money contract potentially outweighing the loss of trading two late first-round picks for a guy that only lasted a year in town. Even if it’s as A-B-C and 1-2-3 as Ighodaro and Maluach becoming the center pair of the future, a seamless succession plan, it still harkens back to concerns about the two moves on draft night.
If Williams keeps playing at this level, or more so doesn’t majorly improve, the likelihood of this only increases. And for just this year in pursuit of a guaranteed playoff spot at a top-six placement in the Western Conference standings, you wonder how much this evolves beyond Williams already not finishing lots of games and Ighodaro’s playing time only growing.
Green had 20 points, four rebounds, one assist, four steals and seven turnovers in 31 minutes. A flurry from the bench to begin the second quarter were the first real signs of life the Suns showed, and Green was out there for it, headlined by a thunderous lob finish for him in transition.
JALEN GREEN GOT SERIOUS AIR ON THIS ALLEY-OOP!
? NBC (PT/Select MT) and Peacock pic.twitter.com/EbJRCnPOxY
— NBA on NBC and Peacock (@NBAonNBC) March 4, 2026
Green still isn’t operating with 100% confidence right now, something he has admitted, and you can tell it’s just as much about the hamstring as it is about a new guy having to sync up with a synergized group mid-season on the floor after he accomplished that off it. Green alluded to his explosive leaping as a signature part of his game to get going that would help him start feeling like himself more. That type of finish sure qualifies.
He had multiple 1-on-1 takes to the rim that ended with a basic layup finish, a way he can carve up putrid defensive units like Sacramento, and put pressure on some of the better defenses around. But the seven giveaways was another reminder of how far he has to go.
Booker did not have a good shooting night in his return, going 6-of-19 for 17 points with four rebounds and six assists. He told the national broadcast postgame that the week-long absence felt more like a month and he needs to work on getting his wind back. If you’re familiar at all with Booker’s process, that means more of getting back into the freakish shape he is normally in all year long.
Fleming tallied eight points, six rebounds and an assist in 15 minutes. He maintained his role, a notable decision since buyout addition Haywood Highsmith was off the injury report. Fleming was the ninth guy in the rotation, subbing in with Ryan Dunn and Oso Ighodaro. Amir Coffey was that 10th guy, ahead of Highsmith. It should be emphasized that Highsmith hasn’t played all year due to injury, so inserting him at this point in the season as a new body would be asking a lot.
Once Jordan Goodwin (left calf strain) comes back, which should be in the next few games, Phoenix all of a sudden has some dynamic athleticism and size it can deploy on the floor from its reserves. A second unit involving Goodwin’s pesky defense, Fleming’s ridiculous length, Ighodaro’s elite agility and size on the wing from Dunn is actually something real for a department Phoenix has lagged behind in for a few years now. Add on the minutes Green plays with that group and that’s some explosiveness, before getting to the chance Maluach’s large presence could factor in as well.
Collin Gillespie kept his starting spot with Booker’s return and made five 3s for 17 points. with six rebounds and nine assists. This is the third time on an NBC/Peacock broadcast that Gillespie has lit it up. I guess we know what his preferred streaming service is.
Dillon Brooks (left hand fracture) remained out for Phoenix and Gillespie presumably is going to keep starting in his place despite the unconventional look of a three-guard lineup with a wing in Royce O’Neale that is listed at 6-foot-6. Grayson Allen stayed on the bench and got 18 points, three rebounds, six assists, three steals and three turnovers in 25 minutes.
The Kings weren’t any good at full strength and have been much worse than that without Domantas Sabonis (left meniscus surgery), Zach LaVine (left finger surgery), Keegan Murray (left ankle sprain) and De’Andre Hunter (left eye surgery).
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