The season hasn’t even begun, and the Suns are already dealing with unfortunate injury news. We learned today that Mark Williams suffered a torn left labrum during a scrimmage, and there is currently no timetable for his return.
Can I get a Homer Simpson “Doh!” from the crowd? Pop open a Duff beer and absorb the fact that for a team that needs health to compete successfully in the Western Conference, this is a significant blow. Phoenix will now be without its starting center for an undetermined amount of time before the season has even tipped off. I guess it’s better that he misses the first half than the second half, right?
Advertisement
Mark Williams has always carried questions about his ability to stay healthy, and this injury is only going to fan the flames of that narrative. For a player who signed a three-year, $38 million contract this offseason, the timing is brutal. From Williams’ perspective, however, there is at least some security. He got the contract. Phoenix committed to him. Now the focus has to shift away from the narrative surrounding his health and toward getting back on the floor.
So what does this mean for the Suns moving forward?
First and foremost, it completely changes a topic I wrote about earlier this week, when I called Phoenix’s center depth one of the more underrated aspects of the roster. Maybe this one is on me, and for that, I am sorry. Goodbye optionality, hello testing of the depth.
The one advantage here, if you want to call it that, is that Williams was projected to be the fifth option offensively. Phoenix wasn’t building the offense around him, which makes this injury easier to absorb than it would be if he were the team’s primary, secondary, or even tertiary scoring option. His role was going to be complementary. Create extra possessions on the offensive glass, finish putbacks, set some screens, roll hard, and provide a vertical threat around the rim. That was his destiny. So while losing Williams is far from ideal, it isn’t a death blow for Phoenix.
Advertisement
The biggest beneficiary of this situation is sophomore center Khaman Maluach. The 10th pick in the 2025 NBA Draft is going to get his chance. He flashed this summer in Las Vegas, and based on what he showed from a development and productivity standpoint, there were already questions about how the Suns would begin integrating him into the rotation and giving him more opportunities to grow. Well, the door is wide open now. Time for the 7’2″ center to walk on through it.
There will be an adjustment period for Khaman and for the fan base. As Maluach puts more tape out there, opposing teams will learn how to attack what he does well and where he remains vulnerable. Expectations must be tempered accordingly, but the tools are obvious and provide a basis for excitement. He has size, rim protection, screening, rim running, and the potential to stretch the floor.
The bigger question is how Jordan Ott decides to structure the rotation. Does Oso Ighodaro step directly into the starting role vacated by Williams? Or does Maluach get the opportunity right away? There probably isn’t an answer yet. Training camp and preseason should help dictate how Phoenix handles it.
Advertisement
My assumption is that Ott would lean toward starting Oso because of how connective he is offensively. Oh, and Ott adored Oso last season and his skillset. His screening, ball-handling, ability to facilitate from the five, and quick decision-making allow him to raise the level of the players around him. On a team where center is an ancillary position, that kind of connectivity can be extremely valuable with the starters.
But there’s another side to that argument. Those same attributes also make Oso an ideal backup big because he can help organize the second unit and elevate the players around him. His ability to keep possessions flowing could make the bench more productive and efficient.
And maybe the starters don’t need as much help creating offense. Devin Booker, Jalen Green, Dillon Brooks, and Miles Bridges already give Phoenix plenty of creation. That group may benefit more from having Maluach next to them because he brings a completely different set of skills. He may not be as switchable on the perimeter as Oso, but his length and rim deterrence can give Phoenix’s perimeter defenders more freedom to gamble. His size should also make him a positive rebounder on both ends, creating extra possessions and fitting directly into the philosophy Jordan Ott established last season.
That is the decision Phoenix now has to make. Do you use Oso’s connectivity to make the starters even cleaner offensively, or do you let Maluach’s size and defensive presence complement what those four already do well?
Advertisement
My guess is there will be a transition period. Oso Ighodaro probably starts the season at center as the Suns try to stabilize the offense, while Maluach comes off the bench and Phoenix gets a better look at what he can handle against NBA competition.
But at some point, I think it’s in the Suns’ best interest to flip that switch. Give Maluach the reins. Let him play through mistakes, learn what works, learn what doesn’t, and find out how quickly his tools can translate into consistent production. Then you can move Oso back into a role where his connectivity can strengthen the second unit. The rotations will fluctuate regardless. Jordan Ott will have opportunities to build different combinations depending on what a game requires, whether that’s more shooting and spacing, more size and rebounding, or more athleticism and pace.
Losing Williams is not ideal. But it does force the organization to accelerate Maluach’s development. And that is where the stakes become more interesting. The Suns are no longer developing him entirely on their own timetable. They may need him now. That means the organization has to find the balance between giving a 20-year-old enough responsibility to grow without asking him to become something he isn’t ready to be.
The challenge will be avoiding overreactions in either direction. If Maluach struggles for a few games, that doesn’t mean he isn’t ready. If he dominates for a week, that doesn’t mean he has arrived. Development isn’t linear. There will be highs. There will be lows. There will be nights where he looks like the future and others where he looks every bit like a 20-year-old center still learning the NBA.
Advertisement
What Williams’ injury does is guarantee that we’re going to learn more about Maluach much sooner than expected. And that fits into the larger evaluation taking place this season. Phoenix isn’t only trying to win games. The Suns are also figuring out which young players can become legitimate pieces of the future while evaluating Jalen Green and what his own long-term place in the organization looks like.
Maluach was always going to be part of that process. Now he may be one of the most important parts of it.
