PHOENIX — Mark Williams has a reputation of being exceptionally talented, but lacking the ability to stay on the floor for stretches of a season.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!Over his first three seasons in the NBA, Williams played in just 43, 19 and 44 games. And this year, his first with the Phoenix Suns, he didn’t play at all in preseason and has already missed one of three games.
But it isn’t what you think it is. In fact, Suns head coach Jordan Ott assured that him missing Saturday’s game against the Denver Nuggets was part of the plan all along.
Oct 22, 2025; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Sacramento Kings guard Russell Westbrook (18) shoots the ball against Phoenix Suns center Mark Williams (15) during the second half at the Mortgage Matchup Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
“Just part of the plan to continue to build up his strength,” Ott said ahead of Saturday’s game. “We started three games in four nights. Just part of the plan.”
The Nuggets weren’t just Phoenix’s second opponent on its three-game road trip, but also the Suns’ second half of a back-to-back.
As Ott and his staff aim to ensure long-term health for their promising, young center, sitting out on the back end of consecutive nights will be a regular occurrence.
Mark Williams’ Status for Suns at Jazz
Oct 24, 2025; Inglewood, California, USA; Los Angeles Clippers forward John Collins (20) is defended by Phoenix Suns center Mark Williams (15) as he drives to the basket in the first half at Intuit Dome. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images
Ott also detailed of he would be available for Phoenix’s final game of their road trip on Monday.
“If everything comes back, we can continue to assess him,” Ott said. “Everything looked good coming out. He didn’t play a ton of minutes (against the Clippers) because of how the game got out of hand, but yeah, everything looked good.”
Williams is off of the injury report ahead of the Suns’ game against Utah, but, as fans have become familiar with, these things can change after shootarounds the mornings of.
Dillon Brooks Shows Up on Injury Report
Dillon Brooks is listed as questionable ahead of the Utah clash with right groin soreness. The gritty two-way wing is averaging 19.3 points per game this season in Jalen Green’s absence.
Green, who hasn’t appeared in a game this season, is still out with a right hamstring strain, but will likely make progress to return once Phoenix returns from the road trip.
Oct 25, 2025; Denver, Colorado, USA; Phoenix Suns forward Dillon Brooks (3) during the first half against the Denver Nuggets at Ball Arena. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-Imagn Images
Brooks has been a staple of Phoenix’s early season. His chaotic defensive identity gives the Suns a boost every night, as fans saw during his altercation with DeMar DeRozan in their win against Sacramento on opening night.
On offense, Brooks has been Phoenix’s second-leading scorer simply because he’s been taking the most shots. He’s averaging 19.7 FGA per game and is making 37.7% of them.
This is a microcosm of Green’s absence. Without a dynamic secondary scorer, opposing defenses are keying in on Devin Booker and, as a result, Brooks is having to create offense late in the shot clock.
At times, it may be overbearing, like Brooks’ 11 shot attempts in the first quarter against the Kings, but it’s almost necessary until Green returns to the lineup.
Phoenix tips off against the Jazz at 6 p.m. MST on Monday as the Suns look for their second win of the season.
Suns’ impact wing lands on injury report ahead of Jazz clash
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