Mark Williams is doing everything the Hornets failed to pay him for

It is hard to tell who has been the bigger surprise for the Phoenix Suns this season, Collin Gillespie or Mark Williams. We gave Gillespie the nod (just about) for first-quarter MVP, but Williams was right there.

His ability to stay healthy when most thought he could not has been the key reason for his surge in Phoenix, and it shows no signs of slowing down. It is also making the Charlotte Hornets look foolish.

Williams doing everything to deserve a massive extension.

Part of the reason the Hornets had no problem in letting the 23-year-old go is because he is eligible for an extension on his rookie contract. Only what do you pay somebody who had a trade to the Los Angeles Lakers rescinded because they didn't believe he could stay on the court?

The Suns were willing to take that risk and figure it out, and it turned out to be one of many decisions that General Manager Brian Gregory has gotten right. The franchise needed to reset the culture, and in head coach Jordan Ott and Dillon Brooks they found the people to achieve this.

But they also needed a big man who could buy into defending at an elite level each night, and Williams has been that guy and more. Not since Deandre Ayton in 2021 have the Suns had a center they could trust so much in big moments to deliver.

When he is on the court the Suns are giving up just 108.6 points, which is a career low for Williams. It is also way down on the 113.4 they are averaging as a whole, his absence being felt when he sits out back-to-backs as he has so far this season.

His traditional numbers are actually down some on last season, but that only further highlights how wrong the Hornets were to get rid of him and choose not to pay him. He's scoring and rebounding a clip below 2023-24, but he's also playing less minutes each night too.

In doing this the Suns have gotten Williams to buy into having less of an impact on the box score, but more of a say on the advanced defensive stats that have helped propel them into the playoff conversation.

The Hornets have been willing trade partners with the Suns in the last year, but handing them Williams was a misstep. He is the long-term center solution in The Valley, and the extension he receives is going to be well deserved.