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<\/a><\/p>\nHe won\u2019t stretch the floor, won\u2019t drag big men out of the paint, won\u2019t force defenses to think twice. Which might explain why we saw Khaman Maluach firing threes in Summer League. If we ever want to see these twin towers on the court together, someone has to possess the ability to stretch the floor and shoot. Any frontcourt with Williams and Oso Ighodaro is going to be paint-clogged and slow-paced.<\/p>\n
And then there\u2019s the elephant in the training room. His health.<\/p>\n
The best ability is availability, and Williams hasn\u2019t consistently had it. That\u2019s why his acquisition cost felt reasonable. That\u2019s why the gamble makes sense. But if\u2026and it\u2019s a big if\u2026he stays healthy? He\u2019s not a perfect center, but he\u2019s the kind of center you win with. Top-third in the league. Big enough, strong enough, focused enough to be the quiet backbone of a team trying to rediscover its identity.<\/p>\n
I\u2019ve spent the entire offseason hammering the health drum when it comes to Mark Williams. And yes, that\u2019s still the key factor. But let\u2019s look at something different.<\/p>\n
The Suns haven\u2019t had a true lob threat since Deandre Ayton left town. And even when DA was here, the lob was the only consistent play. And even then, he played like he was afraid of the rim, not mad at it. The minute you bounced him the ball on a pick-and-roll, however, chaos followed. The catch wasn\u2019t clean, the timing was off, the possession was often dead on arrival.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s where Williams can separate himself. He\u2019s not just a vertical threat. He\u2019s got to become a pick-and-roll finisher who can catch in traffic, go straight up, and punish defenses before the help arrives. That split-second matters. Hold it too long, bring it too low, and the ball\u2019s getting stripped. We\u2019ve seen that movie before.<\/p>\n
Turnovers were one of Williams\u2019 biggest issues in Charlotte (1.6 a game). If he cleans that up, if he becomes decisive and strong with the ball, he doesn\u2019t just give Phoenix a lob target, he gives them an actual interior weapon. And that, maybe more than his rim protection, is the thing that could unlock this offense.<\/p>\n
Mark Williams is one of the hardest players on this roster to project because everything hinges on that one variable: health. And if I\u2019m being honest, I think it\u2019s going to hold him back again this season.<\/p>\n
The Suns know this, though. That\u2019s why Nick Richards and Khaman Maluach are here. They\u2019re like Geico geckos. Insurance policies in human form. Their presence means Phoenix can be patient, can give Williams the extra time he needs to get right without grinding him into dust. It\u2019s all baked into the acquisition, part of the plan.<\/p>\n
I don\u2019t see him playing more than half the games. But in the ones he does play? He\u2019ll matter. He\u2019ll control the glass, tilt possessions, and give Phoenix the physical interior presence they\u2019ve lacked. And for a team trying to rediscover its identity, that\u2019s exactly where they need to start. By owning the boards.<\/p>\n
Stat Prediction: 49 games played, 12.8 PPG, 2.1 APG, 10.8 RPG<\/p>\n
I loved the Mark Williams acquisition. Sure, some people blasted it because it came right on the heels of drafting Maluach, but in the same breath, it felt like a deep exhale. For once, the center rotation was shored up, on draft night, no less. That alone was a small victory.<\/p>\n
The past few seasons have been frustrating. Jusuf Nurkic and Mason Plumlee as your center duo with undersized Oso as the only backup option? That wasn\u2019t a plan, that was a patch job. And it showed. The Suns were abysmal on the glass, soft at the rim, and too often outmuscled in the paint.<\/p>\n
Williams\u2019 arrival changes that. It solidifies what the Suns want to be and backed up what GM Brian Gregory promised in his opening press conference. That this team is going to attack the rim, on both ends. Mission accomplished, at least on paper. Now it\u2019s time to see if that vision actually translates to the floor.<\/p>\n