The Phoenix Suns were brought back down to earth by the Houston Rockets on Monday, delivering one of their most despicable showings of the season so far: an 18-point loss to an opponent that missed Kevin Durant for personal reasons.
Mark Williams’ absence was felt in The Valley.
One player who did not suit up for the game, which was all but confirmed in advance by head coach Jordan Ott, was center Mark Williams. The 23-year-old has been held out of back-to-back games so far this season.
His exclusion was no surprise, and Nick Richards performed admirably for part of the defeat, but it was a reminder to all of us how important Williams has become for the Suns in a short space of time.
Suns coach Jordan Ott was asked about a timeline for when they hope Mark Williams will play both games back-to-back, right before the All-Star break or after: “There’s just more and more discussion. From the beginning, it’s been a matter of taking a longer view… pic.twitter.com/fEqYtxg8f1
— Duane Rankin (@DuaneRankin) November 25, 2025
His impact on both ends, but especially defensively, was felt by the Rockets and bullied them on the inside just like everyone else they played.
The knock on Williams coming into the campaign was that he was one of the worst rim protectors in the league, but he quickly showed what a ridiculous statement that was.
The Suns sit above the league average in defensive rating (12th, 112.6 points per game) because of a plan coach Ott has put in place that relies heavily on Williams. The proof of this exists because when he is there, the team only concedes 109.6 points.
His own personal numbers are slightly lower than what he produced for the Charlotte Hornets last season, but the key difference is that he appears to be on pace to break his previous record of 44 games played, already sitting at 15 with 12 starts.
His consistent availability for Phoenix was a huge boost that few saw coming given the way the first three years of his career had unfolded.
So while Coach Ott had no choice but to keep him out of this, he believes he will be back for their next game against the Sacramento Kings. Better yet, the discussion about when Williams could play in his first back-to-back of the season remains positive and moving in the right direction.
It must also be said that coach Ott has also handled the Williams situation brilliantly. Winning games always helps, but he has been honest in his conversations with the media, leaving fans with no questions about why he isn’t playing in these games.
He isn’t compromised or pushed too far, and when you see how dominant he can be when he’s on the pitch, you can see why. The Suns may be ahead of schedule when it comes to winning games this season, but coach Ott is right to take the big picture with Williams.
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