Mark Williams is playing his way out of a max extension this summer

Phoenix Suns center Mark Williams was one of the best surprises of their unexpected season, with the 24-year-old staying healthy enough to contribute almost every night.

A major extension this offseason appears to be a formality, although Williams’ play in recent weeks has raised some doubts about how much money he could receive.

Williams has hit a wall as the regular season continues

The former Charlotte Hornet has struggled to score in his last four games, though he’s usually good for about eight boards a night in February, which is a huge help.

But looking at his performances over the last few weeks, there haven’t been any signature games or even a dominant spell in any game for the Suns.

That wasn’t the case earlier this season, when Williams was playing back-to-backs (he still is) and was a big factor on certain nights and against some opponents.

The reason for this is clear: Williams has never played so much basketball in his professional career. His highest performance before this season was 44 games, and he is already at 55 (with 51 starts).

He just looks tired, and at a time when the Suns need him to do a heavier job than ever before, they are instead depending on this pair of veterans to win games for them.

There are two ways to look at what comes next, although Williams could certainly be seen signing a contract for less money this summer.

With Nick Richards in Chicago, the Suns are in focus and so will be hoping Williams can play his way back into form.

With rookie Khaman Maluach the only other big in the rotation, Phoenix should go this route as they continue to chase wins.

This would certainly allow Williams to find form again and sign the extension that everyone expects from him.

But if the slump continues and head coach Jordan Ott starts looking at other options, such as Oso Ighodaro, Williams’ future will become more difficult to predict.

The franchise gave up a few first rounders to acquire him so you know they won’t let him walk, but he needs to prove he can do the opposite of Deandre Ayton to warrant a major extension.

Williams is going to figure this out one way or another and he has already exceeded expectations, but this bump in the road was concerning and could impact future earnings.