Suns' Plumlee and Ighodaro talk about replacing Nurkic in preseason debut

With starting center Jusuf Nurkic sidelined with a finger injury, Phoenix Suns coach Mike Budenholzer will be the backup for big man Mason Plumlee in Sunday’s preseason opener against the Los Angeles Lakers in Palm Desert, California.

Nurkic will be re-evaluated in a week.

Plumlee is expected to make his debut with the Suns after signing in free agency in June. Budenholzer said rookie big man Oso Ighodaro will have “more opportunities” against the Lakers due to Nurkic’s absence.

Plumlee, 34, is the Suns’ second-oldest player behind 36-year-old star Kevin Durant, while Ighodaro, 22, is their second-youngest behind fellow rookie Ryan Dunn (21).

Plumlee and Ighodaro talked about what they learned from Nurkic as they adjusted to the team and the NBA, Durant and others.

Evaluation of the first days of the Suns training camp.

Plumlee: “Good energy. We have a really good group so far and a good few days.”

Ighodaro: “Learn a lot, compete. We felt like we had good energy as a team and were working hard to get better. So it was good.”

About the possibilities and the mindset of Sunday.

Plumlee: “We’re just focused on playing the way we want to play. Obviously there’s going to be different lineups throughout the season, so my chance to play with Devin (Booker), Kevin (Durant) and Brad (Beal) and those guys is nothing big, he’ll be right back and we will Just making sure we continue to play the way we want to play.”

Ighodaro: “That’s exactly how I approached summer league, training camp and pickup (games). I’m just trying to learn, grow. I know my strengths and try to put them under pressure on the pitch. Play hard and just listen to whatever the older guys and coaching staff ask me to do.”

When Nurkic got Plumlee, Ighodaro got used to Suns.

Plumlee: “He was great. I think he’ll fit in really well with what Coach is trying to do. He’s shot the ball really well since I’ve been here.”

Ighodaro: “Nurk was great. He always tells me to join him in drills after practice and he and Tyus (Jones) did some ball screen angles and stuff. He says, ‘Rook, come get in with me.’…Making me feel included, and as a young man it means a lot to me to have a vet step up to that.”

Plumlee on Durant’s shooting.

“How consistent he is. You always get to know a player better when you play with him than against him. Sometimes when you’re playing against a guy, you just ask yourself, ‘Is he just hitting these shots tonight?’ And from preseason through training camp, he’s hitting them all the time. It’s just so impressive and that’s why he’s one of the greatest ever.”

About Ighodaros playmaking ability to create shots for others.

Plumlee: “He was great. I thought he had his best training today. It has a nice touch around the edge. He has recovered very well and is playing well too. Of course everyone knows how athletic he is, but there’s more to his game.”

Ighodaro: “At Marquette we only shot threes. For me, the ability to make 3s is the same as getting 3s, so I know my role. The opportunity to record for others is something they expect from me. Of course I will continue to work on my shot and develop it, but I now know my strengths and how I can contribute to winning.”

***

Ighodaro on studying Nurkic’s film, Plumlee on playing with them: “The way they read defenses, I obviously thought I could do that really well at the college level, and then you come here and it’s a whole new level in this thing. “I just love it, them to observe and learn as much as I can since I’ve been out here.

Ighodaro on switching from Marquette’s defensive system to Budenholzer’s at Suns: “I wouldn’t say challenges, but it’s definitely different. “We traded everything up at Marquette (defensively), whereas we (Suns) aren’t doing that right now. So I just added things to my game and my basketball IQ helped that will help me in the long run.”

Plumlee on Suns rookies Ighodaro, Dunn in training camp: “They were great. It’s not easy to join such a talented team where things are pretty much set. But they had moments, they had practices and preseason moments where they showed that they were NBA players. Sometimes when guys come in you don’t know if they can really play, but these guys showed us a lot.”

Suns’ Plumlee and Ighodaro talk about replacing Nurkic in preseason debut

ByJasper

By Jasper

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