The Phoenix Suns made a real effort to add depth to their center rotation this offseason, and the early returns have been excellent. Although Mark Williams still can't play in back-to-backs, he's been mostly healthy and has also been much better defensively than anybody could have predicted. His large and mobile frame putting off opponents around the rim.
Suns still among worst rebounding teams in the league.
Yet despite having Williams and lottery pick Khaman Maluach - who was recently sent to the G League to develop - plus Nick Richards, the Suns have been poor on the boards and in the paint even though they are off to a surprisingly bad start. It is clear head coach Jordan Ott wants to be defensive-minded and also have a creative offensive scheme, and they're being let down inside.
Suns coach Jordan Ott on Mark Williams' plan this season: “We haven’t had any setbacks,. So that part has been good. He feels good. He’s in a great place. He continues to progress. Again, this is 82 games. We’re early into this. Didn’t do a ton on the court in the preseason. So… pic.twitter.com/3VZVatPeM5
— Duane Rankin (@DuaneRankin) November 15, 2025
They're currently averaging under 43 points per night in the paint, a bottom five mark in the league, despite having the benefit of some elite 3-point shooting. What's the point in Grayson Allen and Royce O'Neale being historically good if the bigs can't take advantage for some easy scores inside each night?
The team are shooting 38.5 percent from deep, on over 40 attempts per game. That elite taking and making, and some of their poor inside shooting numbers are bloated by Devin Booker and his ability to make a basket from anywhere. The rebounding isn't quite as big an issue right now, but it should still be better.
Sitting 19th in boards each night (43.2) won't have fans calling for coach Ott's head, but they also have plenty of bodies who crash the boards on a consistent basis. Names like Dillon Brooks, Oso Ighodaro and even Ryan Dunn are more than capable of holding their own in there, and in fact the offensive boards are cause for optimism.
The Suns sitting 10th at 12.4 a night, which proves they can go after the ball when they really want to. Coach Ott's schemes appear to involve starting the defense from the moment a ball leaves one of their player's hands, and includes crashing the boards. It would just be nice to see that effort replicated on the other end, with only six teams grabbing more than their 43.2 defensive rebounds.
It is unclear at this point if the eventual return of Jalen Green will help in this area, or hurt more. He has only managed 4.3 rebounds a night throughout his career so far, and is generally a non-factor. But he could also create yet more space for bigger teammates to operate with how elite a scorer he can be. The Suns can and should be so much more dominant inside the paint.