Suns should steal ideal blueprint to unlock Mark Williams

Of all the new additions the Phoenix Suns have brought to The Valley ahead of the 2025-26 season, few have the kind of pressure on their shoulders that Mark Williams does. The 23-year-old thought of as one of the more imposing bigs in the league, the problem to this point has been his inability to stay on the court.

This was the reason his trade to the Los Angeles Lakers broke down at the deadline last season, and also why the Suns were able to pick him up at a discounted price. With Phoenix also needing Williams to provide real minutes for them - it is going to take rookie Khaman Maluach some time to adapt to the league - the pressure is on him to remain healthy and contribute right away.

Key to unlocking Williams could be as weak side destroyer.

While many view Williams as the physical center who will clog the paint against opponents - and he will be - what if the Suns decide to go in a different direction with him? Although not the most mobile, he certainly has the athleticism when healthy to contest shots outside the paint, although he does get smoked off the bounce by quicker guards.

But if he were to slim down some to save his lower limbs from the stress they have already been put under which has led to all of that missed time, it could create a new wrinkle in the Suns' defensive schemes. Last season they allowed a ghastly 117.7 points per game, so the only way is up for this group on that end.

But with teammates such as Dillon Brooks, Ryan Dunn and Oso Ighodaro - as well as a pair of fellow bigs in Maluach and Nick Richards - the Suns won't need Williams to be quite as traditional as he was in Charlotte. Instead if he could patrol the weak side and break up plays and deter action on that side of the court, it would then corral the action towards Brooks and Dunn.

They could then use their length and much better perimeter defensive skills to lock-up opponents, and in some cases it would also allow Williams to get back under the basket to protect it. This might seem a silly use of his abilities, but this season is a blank canvas for the Suns. They need to look at all options to try and improve, and Williams is still so young.

It's a massive ask to believe he can be as effective as Giannis Antetokounmpo in this role, but now is the time to try. He has never been thought of as an All-Star level big - but if the Suns want to jump start this rebuild - then they need certain guys to out-kick their coverage. Turning Williams into a two-fold defensive threat would appear an ideal place to start. Well worth considering.