It goes with out saying that the choice to trade for Ajay Mitchell on draft night time again in 2024 has become an absolute win for the OKC Thunder.
From turning heads and cracking Oklahoma City’s stacked title-winning rotation in 12 months one to morphing into one of the club’s go-to weapons right here in his sophomore go-around, such a press release ought to be far from controversial.
However, closing in on two years because the preliminary deal was made, it appears the Thunder is probably not the one squad that got here away from the transaction profitable, because the Suns discover themselves reaping the rewards from their very own involvement.
Thunder buying and selling for Ajay Mitchell helped land Oso Ighodaro with Suns
Oso Ighodaro was drafted with the 40 total choice within the 2024 draft, the rights of which had been shipped out to Phoenix as a part of the Mitchell trade.
While he might have had a reasonably quiet rookie marketing campaign within the affiliation, revolving out and in of the G League and wrapping up with mere averages of 4.2 factors and three.6 rebounds per night time, right here in season two, he is managed to come back throughout a major improve in each the position and impression departments, seeing 21 begins and a mean of twenty-two.2 minutes an evening.
Simply put, the outcomes have flown properly beneath the radar, as he ranks second on the Suns in both defensive and offensive rating amongst those that have seen 50 or extra video games performed, and locations third behind core fixtures, Collin Gillespie and Devin Booker, in plus-minus.
As of late, Ighodaro has actually turned his stage of play up a notch, as he is been posting spectacular averages of 9.7 factors, 6.1 rebounds, 3.6 assists, and simply shy of a block whereas taking pictures 70.1 % from the ground since getting used as a full-time starter again on March 5.
Currently within the seventh seed within the Western Conference standings with a document of 42-33, Phoenix has already locked up at the very least a Play-In Tournament berth, and, presumably, can be one of many 4 groups preventing within the end-of-season event for one of many closing 4 playoff spots.
Considering the Thunder are assured both the one or two seed, there is a reasonably life like probability that they may sq. off towards the Suns in spherical one, and, in flip, see the membership’s emerging large man that they had been immediately liable for them buying within the first place up shut and private beneath the intense lights of the postseason.
