The Phoenix Suns have an ideal plan with their center rotation, according to head coach Jordan Ott. With four centers on the team, it feels that there might be some confusion with who will get minutes.
Mark Williams, Nick Richards, Oso Ighodaro, and rookie Khaman Maluach all have similar yet different skill sets. Williams is elite as a rim-runner and a lob threat. His athleticism and rebounding would be essential for this Phoenix team.
Richards presents a steady rim presence and is a quality rebounder. He’s also a lob threat and is continuing to develop an outside game. For Ighodaro, he’s arguably the best playmaker out of the bunch.
His basketball acumen on offense and defense has been present throughout training camp, as well as seeing glimpses of it during his rookie season. Now, there’s Maluach.
The former Duke center brings an infectious energy that everyone is thriving off of. After the Suns acquired Maluach on draft night, it could be the steal of the draft. The energy, defensive communication and sheer size could give him legitimate minutes.
Either way, Ott knows that the rotation won’t be set in stone, but rather on a game-to-game basis.
“It is going to be a fluid,” Ott said via AZCentral’s Duane Rankin on X (formerly Twitter). “We’re all new to all this. The work and production matters most. There’s been some of that we’ve seen in our building for the last however many months.
“Mark has done it. Mark has done it at a high level. Nick has done it. Oso spent one year in the league and Man-Man, we’re trying to figure out.
Jordan Ott sees value with all the Suns centers
In 82 games of the NBA regular season, there will be a variety of schemes Phoenix will see. Some teams will have dominant interior athletes like Anthony Davis or Joel Embiid.
Others will have completely balanced bigs like Nikola Jokic or Alperen Sengun. Meanwhile, others might have a sole defensive presence like a Jarrett Allen or Rudy Gobery.
With whatever matchup the Suns face, they have the bodies and the diverse skill sets to combat it. Still, someone like Maluach continues to impress and intrigue the coaching staff.
As mentioned earlier, his infectious energy and enthusiasm are things that can’t be taught. There are moments where he’s shown that he’s a rookie, but those will wane in due time.
He’s been the most sought after rookie on the roster because of the untapped potential. Ott has recognized this since he took the job, but won’t rule out any player starting over the other.
“This is his first season. We saw it in the preseason as well as summer league. The highs and lows. That’s what young guys do.
On a night-to-night basis, we’ll have plan going into it, but we have to be a little fluid as coaches and kind of read the games and see exactly who is impacting winning out there on the court on a night-to-night basis.”
The regular season tips off on Wednesday, as the Suns will face the Sacramento Kings. Even with all the preseason and training camp work, this will be the first glimpse of what could work.
In only a one-game sample size, the NBA world could quickly see the center rotation be set. Or as Ott eluded to, it’ll be on a case-by-case basis but time will tell if that sentiment holds true.
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