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The Phoenix Suns\u2019 Ryan Dunn, left, and Oso Ighodaro have high expectations in their second season with the team. (File photo By Daniella Trujillo\/Cronkite News)<\/p>\n
PHOENIX \u2013 Many 22-year-olds fresh out of college seek a sense of direction. For the Phoenix Suns\u2019 Ryan Dunn and Oso Ighodaro, their calling is clear and twofold: self-improvement and leadership. <\/p>\n
With the NBA franchise selecting Duke\u2019s Khaman Maluach, 18, with its highest draft pick (No. 10) and plenty of other unsettled pieces, Dunn and Ighodaro may be asked to mature quickly in their respective sophomore seasons.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was a leader at Marquette, and I feel like that\u2019s when I\u2019m at my best,\u201d Ighodaro said recently following practice at Verizon 5G Performance Center. \u201cJust having a little bit more confidence now that I went through my rookie year. I still don\u2019t know everything, but (I\u2019m) just trying to step into that role for sure.\u201d<\/p>\n
On top of the three youthful additions in this year\u2019s draft \u2013 Rasheer Fleming (No. 31) and Koby Brea (No. 41) joining Maluach \u2013 the Suns officially parted ways with Kevin Durant, 15-time NBA All-Star, Sunday. The absence of Durant leaves the keys firmly in Devin Booker\u2019s hands but makes those with even one year of experience playing for Planet Orange that much more valuable.<\/p>\n
Related story \u201cLearning to fail, I think that\u2019s the biggest thing for me, and learning turning the ball over is OK,\u201d Dunn said. \u201cNot having that pressure that I need to make the right play.\u201d<\/p>\n Both Dunn and Ighodaro claimed to have put on 10-15 pounds during their first full NBA offseason. Ighodaro said the added weight hasn\u2019t prevented him from being the \u201cfastest on the team.\u201d<\/p>\n Unlike heading to Las Vegas for NBA Summer League as wide-eyed rookies, this time around Dunn and Ighodaro have one-track minds.<\/p>\n \u201cFirst (objective) is to win,\u201d Dunn said. \u201cYou want to come out and compete and play hard. That\u2019s what we want to build this culture on.\u201d<\/p>\n Ighodaro believes that \u201cyou build winning habits right now. We\u2019re going to guard, fly around, have each other\u2019s backs. So, I\u2019m excited.\u201d<\/p>\n Ighodaro, who is listed right at 7 feet, demonstrated his defensive prowess with eight multi-block games and complemented that by shooting 60.4% from the field last season. Dunn, whose University of Virginia draft profile screamed defensive specialist, disrupted his fair share of opposing offenses \u2013 not even a local YMCA kid was immune to his instinctual rim protection during a Jr. Suns camp Monday, which he blocked a shot and playfully stared down the shooter.<\/p>\n Khaman Maluach with the kids at YMCA.<\/p>\n Ryan Dunn block incoming. #Suns<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/NwkUtxAjOW<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Duane Rankin (@DuaneRankin) July 7, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n DeMarre Carroll, former NBA player turned coach in 2022, has seen the duo make strides as \u201ctrue professionals\u201d even within two pre-Vegas practices.<\/p>\n \u201cThe way they play with force,\u201d said Carroll, who was named a Suns assistant coach in June and will lead the summer league squad. \u201cBoth of them play with force on both ends of the court. That\u2019s going to help them. If they can carry that over \u2026 should be bright future(s) for those guys.\u201d<\/p>\n After prioritizing his body\u2019s physique and upping his speed, Dunn said his 3-point shot has certainly been an emphasis. In two years in college, the 6-8 forward only took 51 3-pointers. In one year with the Suns, he was encouraged to test his long-range skills on 264 attempts (31% shooting). <\/p>\n \u201cShooting, obviously trying to get that more consistent,\u201d Dunn said. \u201cThere\u2019s catch and shoot a little bit off the dribble, finishing at the rim, ball handling. Now it\u2019s just \u2026 getting live play.\u201d<\/p>\n For Dunn this summer, it\u2019s been about offensive efficiency. For Ighodaro, it\u2019s increasing his vocal leadership. <\/p>\n Their teammates have been pushing them \u2013 that\u2019s a given. But Jordan Ott, Phoenix\u2019s fourth head coach in four years, has been on the frontlines since his hiring on June 6.<\/p>\n Ighodaro said he and Dunn have been doing two-a-day workouts all summer and they consistently find Ott still hard at work in the training facility at 8 or 9 p.m. when they return. <\/p>\n \u201cJust love seeing that,\u201d Ighodaro said. \u201cHe\u2019s out here running individuals and all types of stuff. I think being a leader, like showing you\u2019re in it with us and not just saying you\u2019re going to work hard but actually doing, it\u2019s been really great to see.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cLack of sleep doesn\u2019t really exist,\u201d said Ott, a first-time NBA head coach who got his first coaching chops with the Brooklyn Nets from 2016-2022. \u201cYou know what you sign up for.\u201d<\/p>\n Phoenix Suns coach Jordan Ott reflects on his NBA Summer League roster and first month in his new position after a practice at Verizon 5G Performance Center in Phoenix on July 8, 2025. (Photo by Payne Moses<\/a>\/Cronkite News)<\/p>\n Before joining the Suns, Carroll had followed Ott to his previous two gigs with the Los Angeles Lakers (2023-24) and Cleveland Cavaliers (2024-25). Their relationship dates back to Brooklyn (2017-19), however, as Carroll credits Ott with reviving the back end of his playing career, which ended in 2020. <\/p>\n The same shooting advice that Ott gave to him back then \u2013 \u201cno shot in the NBA is a repetitive shot\u201d \u2013 Carroll is passing on this summer league.<\/p>\n \u201cEvery NBA player, when you get to that end, you think you still got it,\u201d Carroll said. \u201cBut sometimes you got to help the next generation.<\/p>\n \u201c(Young players) are going to make mistakes. \u2026 I always live by the quote, \u2018Hard work is the talent.\u2019 So, if you work hard, you can kind of limit some of the mistakes but, at the same time, just go out there and compete, have fun with this.\u201d<\/p>\n At 6 p.m. Friday against the Washington Wizards, the waiting will be over for Dunn and Ighodaro. <\/p>\n It will be time to lace up those shoes and put the offseason grind to the test \u2013 even if Ighodaro doesn\u2019t \u201cpersonally like Vegas\u201d due to the unholy amount of noise surrounding the city. Four of Ighodaro\u2019s former Marquette teammates \u2013 David Joplin and Tyler Kolek among them \u2013 will be there to dispel any distasteful ambiance. <\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m just excited for the opportunity to play again,\u201d Ighodaro said. \u201cIt\u2019s been a while.\u201d<\/p>\n Follow Cronkite News: Phoenix Sports on Twitter<\/a>.<\/p>\n ![](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/1752003314_IMG_9688.jpg\")
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