Oso Ighodaro’s name did not appear on Tuesday’s injury update, and that small administrative change gave the Phoenix Suns a larger basketball problem to solve. After missing the preseason finale with hip soreness, Ighodaro is unlisted on the injury report for Wednesday’s opener against Portland. He is available in the public report. He is not officially the starter.
That distinction leaves Jordan Ott with an actual center decision rather than a medical default. Mark Williams is out after left-shoulder surgery, while Ighodaro’s unlisted status does not determine his minutes. Khaman Maluach, consequently, remains part of the conversation.
That leaves a concrete roster question before the season begins: whether stability should guide the opening choice or whether the coaching staff should use the moment to learn more.
Ott’s preference for continuity deserves room. Sports Illustrated has reported that the Suns’ coach does not want to make game-by-game changes simply because circumstances move around him. That is a sensible instinct at the beginning of a season. A consistent starting arrangement can give players clearer responsibilities and let the staff evaluate the group without repeatedly rearranging the center position whenever the injury report changes.
If Ott believes Ighodaro is ready, using him against Portland would fit that philosophy. The sequence is straightforward: Ighodaro missed the preseason finale because of hip soreness, then was unlisted for the opener. Nothing in the public update requires Phoenix to hold him out, and nothing says Maluach has won the job.
The new information restores Ighodaro as an option; it does not settle the hierarchy.
Maluach should not disappear from the evaluation simply because Ighodaro is available. Williams’ absence removes another center option from Phoenix’s opening-night plan. That makes Maluach’s presence more relevant, even if Ott chooses not to include Maluach in the opening lineup.
Continuity and evaluation can coexist. Phoenix can favor Ighodaro to begin while making sure Maluach receives a genuine opportunity during the early part of the season.
The weekend contract news makes the choice easier to overread. Ighodaro agreed to a new deal covering three seasons and worth $29 million, a significant investment from the Suns. That tells us Phoenix values him over a longer horizon.
It does not establish that he must start Wednesday, take the entire center workload or sit automatically above Maluach. A contract explains organizational confidence; it cannot substitute for a lineup decision made by the coach.
