The Arizona native and Marquette product became a member of the franchise in 2023 in following of Phoenix trading up to the 40th pick.
143 games later, and Ighodaro is fully prepared to take another step forward individually, as well as contributing to greater team success. The 6'10" center said as much when asked about his expectations for the upcoming season at a basketball camp that he held in his hometown of Chandler, Arizona.
From Duane Rankin of the .
“From the outside, I would assume probably not much. It’s going to probably be about the same from the outside, but from us, it’s the same as last year. It wasn’t a surprise to us what we did. We didn't do what we wanted to do in the playoffs, but we want to win every game we play. We want to compete in the playoffs and compete for a championship. That’s going to be our goal and I’m excited for it.”
The team-wide goal seems to be to repeat what the 2025-26 team accomplished. The 45-win plateau is a benchmark for what the team to come should aspire to be, although recent acquisitions such as F is raising the stakes as far as overall expectations go from within the organization.
A championship-contending team doesn't feel to be in the cards at the moment, but there is ample room for the key pieces of the youth movement to grow, including lottery pick and fellow third-year wing Ryan Dunn.
As far as Ighodaro's personal growth is concerned, he is progressing nicely in certain areas. Ighodaro already excels as a phenomenal passer for his size, grading out in the 82nd percentile in passer rating (), while also getting to the free throw line and finishing in rather efficient marks. The big man is also a well above average defender, although he isn't quite as diverse as a player of his archetype tends to be.
The area where he must grow the most is as a floor spacer. Ighodaro's lack of jump shot presently puts Phoenix's ceiling as an offense at peril despite all of his other strengths. It remains to be seen if a revamped outside shot will become a reality, but he remains a quality rotation player nonetheless.
