Suns Make Final Oso Ighodaro Decision vs Nuggets

The Phoenix Suns were hoping to get their center back into the mix.

Jan 27, 2026; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Phoenix Suns forward Oso Ighodaro (11) against the Brooklyn Nets at Mortgage Matchup Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

PHOENIX — The Phoenix Suns will have center Oso Ighodaro available tonight against the Denver Nuggets.

Ighodaro was listed as questionable in the build-up to tonight's NBA Cup opener with a right oblique strain, which has caused him to miss Phoenix's last two games, but coach Jordan Ott said pregame he was pointing in the right direction towards playing and now it's official.

Suns-Nuggets is set for a tip time just past 7:00 pm MST.

Ighodaro had ramped up his workload in recent days in hopes of playing tonight at Mortgage Matchup Center.

"This was his highest day back. It's helpful we've got a couple days — that's been good over the last week but we're going to be smart with him the same. We'll see how he reacts [after] today's practice but he went through most of practice," Ott said back on Wednesday.

The Suns have suffered down low without typical starter Mark Williams and Ighodaro in the lineup. Phoenix, entering tonight, is second to last in team rebounds per night (39.7).

Defensive effort has been at the top of conversations around the Suns' facility this week, as Phoenix has been lacking on that side of the ball.

"It's an effort thing. Sometimes we're not in the right spots, but that could be handled with communication. Right now, it's just giving more effort, getting to the ball more, and finishing possessions with rebounds," Miles Bridges said in the build-up to tonight.

"We just been working on all defensive stuff. Getting into the ball, finishing the plays with rebounds. Just our physicality on defense needs to get better. So that's what we've been working on."

Whether Ighodaro can be an elixir for those problems largely remains to be seen, though his presence in a depleted Suns center room should be beneficial. Duop Reath shouldn't be relied on for hefty NBA minutes while the second-year big man in Khaman Maluach has struggled in a starting role to begin the regular season.

The Suns have valued Ighodaro's athletic abilities for a center, especially in terms of his versatility down low while also being capable of adding himself to the offense. While Ighodaro doesn't quite match Maluach's rim-protecting prowess, the Suns' center does appear to be a better fit for what Ott and his staff want to do at this point in time.

That made Maluach starting over a healthy Ighodaro on opening night a bit of a surprise, though after a few games without Ighodaro, the Suns may be tempted to see if their play can improve if the third-year center starts over Maluach.