The Phoenix Suns bounced back from a tough loss to the Brooklyn Nets with a solid 113-105 win over the Golden State Warriors for the NBA regular season. Among the standout contributors were rookies Ryan Dunn and Oso Ighodaro, whose defensive efforts earned high praise from veteran star Kevin Durant.
Though both rookies came off the bench and made limited offensive contributions, their defensive presence proved crucial to the Suns’ victory. After the game, Durant broke down what the young players bring to the team.
“I think what they bring to our team is that energy and aggressiveness on defense,” Durant said. “That physicality on defense, and then challenges at the rim. I think that’s something that coach always emphasized to everybody—not just the bigs, but everybody—just to have a collision mindset at the rim where you just want to disrupt the play.”
Durant continued: “We keep practicing that and keep building those habits. I think that would be second nature to us and you see it with Oso and Ryan. They just want to get on the court, so they’re going to do those little things for us. They set a high standard for themselves every night.”
Suns HC praises rookies’ contributions
Suns head coach Mike Budenholzer also highlighted the rookies’ significant impact on the victory. “The defense stood out, but Oso gives us a facilitator, a motor on offense, who will keep the things moving,” Budenholzer said. “He can get in and out of screens. I thought there was a big defensive rebound that Ryan got too. The blocked shots but the rebounding.”
Budenholzer elaborated on their defensive development: “As young guys, to lock in on, how are we playing the pick-and-rolls? How are we playing the pindowns? How are we playing everything? I think it was a really good night for those two guys to kind of see and feel the attention to detail.”
Devin Booker praises Dunn and Ighodaro’s energy
Suns star Devin Booker also weighed in, emphasizing the energy and athleticism that Dunn and Ighodaro bring to the team. “That’s that young energy,” Booker said. “They were all around the court blocking shots.”
“I think there was one possession, it was like three blocks,” Booker continued. “The one that sticks out in my mind is Buddy Hield going backdoor—Ryan went and got it off the glass. You can’t teach that. Those are just straight instincts, athleticism, and they have both of those.”