Suns fans all saying the same thing after Mark Williams' first sighting in Phoenix

Few players on the Phoenix Suns' roster enter the 2025-26 season with more question marks around them than center Mark Williams, and with good reason. The 23-year-old was - on paper at least - a nice pickup in a trade with the Charlotte Hornets around the NBA Draft. In reality though, there's a reason the Los Angeles Lakers vetoed a trade for him at the deadline last season.

Williams has already had a myriad of injuries through his first three seasons in the league, and the 43 games he managed last season were the most for his career so far. A number the Suns surely hope is going to improve. If he can stay healthy then he will immediately accelerate the rebuild taking place in The Valley, but that is a massive gamble.

Williams shows off shooting touch to excite fans at Suns Fest.

The Suns were in front of their fans over the weekend at "Suns Fest", a chance for the team to interact with the fanbase at Footprint Center. It went exactly how you would expect it to, with Devin Booker being mobbed for autographs and new signings Dillon Brooks and Jalen Green saying all of the right things when a microphone was put in front of their face.

In amongst all of that - and it did not go unnoticed by the fans - was the shooting touch that big man Williams showed the crowd. He was part of a team that won a 3-point contest, and he managed to make a couple himself. The shooting stroke looked clean and like it had been worked on, an excellent sign for the team ahead of the new season.

We all know Williams will do his best work in the paint, but a chance to diversify his offensive game is an exciting one for this group. He has never consistently taken 3-pointers through 106 games played in the league - and while he will never be a stretch five and in fact the Suns don't want him to be - having a more dependable jumper would be huge for the player.

Head coach Jordan Ott gave a puzzling update on why Williams had been seen on the court during training camp to this point recently, and given his injury history that was a concern. But if he has been putting in the work to improve his jumper over the summer - and it looks like he has - then that changes the conversation.

It also puts more pressure on the Suns at the negotiating table, with Williams now eligible for an extension on his rookie contract. Quite what that will look like is anybody's guess, but if Williams can get back on the court and be more of a factor on the offensive end, he is going to add a chunk of change to his next deal.

It went under the radar in Charlotte, but Williams averaged an impressive 15.3 points per game last season. An impressive number given the lack of consistency in his play time, and before appearing to take his jumper more seriously. If he can nudge himself closer to 20 points - all while giving the team 12 rebounds - then the Suns are going to look very smart for trading for the center.