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Kevin Durant establishes ‘high standard’ for Suns rookies

Posted on December 2, 2024 - 3:15 am by

Kevin Durant established the expectation for Suns rookies Ryan Dunn and Oso Ighodaro.

Rookies sometimes make immediate impacts, and that’s certainly the case if you’re the Phoenix Suns and their rookies, Ryan Dunn and Oso Ighodaro. Although both players came off the bench in the 113-105 win over the Golden State Warriors, they were instrumental in the victory.

Dunn and Ighodaro scored just two and six points, respectively. However, it was their defense that proved to be the measuring stick to tip the game in Phoenix’s favor. Following the game, Kevin Durant gave his rookies some love once again. He explained to reporters the high defensive expectations he set himself, and how those have elevated Dunn and Ighodaro into playing meaningful minutes.

“We trust them and we expect that out of them,” Durant said. “I think what they bring to our team is that energy and aggressiveness on defense. That physicality on defense, and then challenges at the rim. I think that’s something that coach always emphasized to everybody. Not just the bigs, but everybody just has a collision mindset at the rim where you just want to disrupt the play.

“We keep practicing that and keep building those habits. I think that would be second nature to us and you see it with Oso and Ryan, they just want to get on the court. So they’re going to do those little things for us. They set a high standard for themselves every night.”



Kevin Durant underlines expectations for Suns rookies

Everyone has felt their impact even in the preseason, where the Suns rookies’ fearlessness elevated the team morale with their energy, tenacious defense, and enthusiasm. While their impact hasn’t always shown up on the stat sheet, it was a factor in Saturday’s win. Both Dunn and Ighodaro had two blocks each, both of which made some emphatic rejections. For instance, the former ACC All-Defensive guard had a chase-down block that some Warriors players thought was a goaltend.

On the flip side, the Marquette standout should’ve been called Windex for the night. He rejected a shot off the glass right after Dunn contested it at the rim. Blocked shots aside, most of their impact came from their physicality inside the painted area. Dunn and Ighodaro had a respective +14 and +8 in their box scores. Suns head coach Mike Budenholzer elaborated on how the rookies elevate the playcalling.



“The defense stood out, but Oso gives us a facilitator, a motor on offense, who will keep the things moving,” Budenholzer said. “He can get in and out of screens. I thought there was a big defensive rebound that Ryan got too. The blocked shots but the rebounding.

“As young guys to lock in on, how are we playing the pick-and-rolls? How are we playing the pindowns? How are we playing everything? I think it was a really good night for those two guys to kind of see and feel the attention to detail.”

Ryan Dunn, Oso Ighodaro aren’t stat-sheet stuffers

© Rick Scuteri-Imagn Images

Luckily for Phoenix, that defensive tenacity is contagious, just ask the veterans. Throughout the season, they explained how their defensive effort makes everyone want to play tougher, with more energy, and more pace. When Durant and Bradley Beal were both out, the Suns found a silver lining with the duo during the five-game skid.



The No. 27 and No. 4o overall picks have propelled themselves into key rotational pieces. Devin Booker has seen the nightly evolution and explained the nightly intangibles that the duo brings.

“That’s that young energy,” Booker said. “They were all around the court blocking shots. I think there was one possession, it was like three blocks. The one that sticks out of my mind is Buddy Hield going back door, Ryan went and got it off the glass. You can’t teach that. Those are just straight instincts, athleticism and they have both of those.”

Compared to last season, the Suns didn’t have defensive savvy rookies, or rookies who could play meaningful minutes. After the Warriors emerged as a frontrunner in the Western Conference, their impact in a game like that does wonders. Getting a taste of a potential playoff matchup will prove useful in the future. Their experience, guidance, and mentorship will only allow them to nurture as premier defensive players for the Suns.



Phoenix’s next game is on Tuesday against the San Antonio Spurs in the NBA Cup. The team is currently 2-1 in NBA Cup play but could lean on the rookies even more if Jusuf Nurkic and Beal are both sidelined.