The Phoenix Suns were brought crashing back down to earth at the hands of the Houston Rockets on Monday, putting in one of their most abject displays of the season to date in an 18 point loss to an opponent missing Kevin Durant for personal reasons.
Absence of Mark Williams felt in The Valley.
One player who didn’t suit up for the contest, which had been all but confirmed by head coach Jordan Ott ahead of time, was center Mark Williams. The 23-year-old having been held out of back-to-back games so far this season.
His exclusion wasn’t a surprise, and Nick Richards performed admirably for stretches of the defeat, but all this served to remind us was just 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 plays both games in a back-to-back in terms right before the All-Star break or after: "There's just more and more discussion. From the beginning, it was take a longer term view of these… pic.twitter.com/fEqYtxg8f1
— Duane Rankin (@DuaneRankin) November 25, 2025
His impact on both ends, but particularly defensively, being felt at the Rockets bullied them inside as they do everybody they play.
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 sitting above league average in defensive rating (12th, 112.6 points conceded per game) because of a scheme coach Ott has put in place that relies on Williams heavily. The proof of this exists because when he is out there, the team gives up only 109.6 points.
His own personal numbers are down some on what he produced for the Charlotte Hornets last season, but the key difference is he looks on course to smash his previous best of 44 games played, sitting at 15 already with 12 starts.
His consistent availability for Phoenix a huge boost that few saw coming given how the first three years of his career had unfolded.
So while coach Ott had no choice but to hold him out of this one, he figures to be back for their next game against the Sacramento Kings. Better yet, the discussion of when Williams might play in his first back-to-back of the season continues to be a positive one that is trending in the right direction.
It must also be said that coach Ott has handled the Williams situation brilliantly as well. Winning games always helps, but he has been honest when speaking to the media, leaving fans with no lingering questions about why he doesn't play in these games.
He's not being risked or pushed too far, and when you see how dominant he can be when he is on the court, you understand why. The Suns might be ahead of schedule in terms of winning games this season, but coach Ott is correctly taking the big picture approach with Williams.