Oso Ighodaro is not precisely a family title. However in a 133-98 Phoenix Suns win over the Indiana Pacers on Thursday, he did one thing solely 4 different NBA gamers have ever completed earlier than.
Ighodaro had 17 factors and 7 rebounds off the bench within the win, including three steals and three blocked pictures. The 23-year-old logged a plus/minus of +52, that means the Suns outscored the Pacers by a whopping 52 factors within the 26 minutes Ighodaro was on the courtroom, tied for the third-best mark in NBA historical past.
Oso Ighodaro is a part of the Suns’ big defensive enchancment
Phoenix had the third-worst defensive score within the NBA final season, however they’ve gone from No. 28 to No. 12 this season. They’re holding opponents to a few fewer factors per sport than in 2025-26.
The personnel adjustments are an enormous a part of it. The Suns changed Tyus Jones, Bradley Beal, Kevin Durant and Jusuf Nurkic, all negatives on the defensive finish, with former All-Defensive wing Dillon Brooks and shot-blocking heart Mark Williams. They’re additionally giving extra minutes to plus defenders Ryan Dunn, Royce O’Neale and Collin Gillespie.
Ighodaro was a optimistic on protection in his rookie season, however now he is rising as a shot-blocker, swatting 50% extra pictures per minute. He is wonderful at contesting pictures, permitting a field-goal share of 40.8, which is spectacular given how near the rim he often performs.
Single-game plus/minus stays a loud stat
It is laborious to take an excessive amount of away from Ighodaro’s huge statistical night time, contemplating how unpredictable plus/minus may be for a single sport. The all-time chief is Luc Richard Mbah a Moute, who logged a +57 in a 2017 sport for the Houston Rockets. Mbah a Moute was a stable participant, however not somebody you’d anticipate to have such an enormous impression.
Gary Trent Jr. is second with a +54 from a 2021 sport with the Toronto Raptors towards the Golden State Warriors, who have been enjoying with out Steph Curry or Draymond Inexperienced. Ighodaro’s +52 matched video games by Santi Aldama and journeyman Joe Smith, whereas the remainder of the highest 10 incorporates names like Jeremy Lamb, Daniel Theis and Jared Jeffries.
So maybe this sport will not point out that Ighodaro is a budding celebrity. Nonetheless, it is a sign that the Suns all of a sudden have a deep huge man rotation with Williams, Ighodaro and Nick Richards, with No. 10 choose Khaman Maluach ready within the wings. It is a dramatic change from final season and an indication that the Suns’ sizzling begin could also be sustainable.
Even when Ighodaro’s eye-popping plus/minus numbers aren’t.
