The final season of Mark Williams’ time with the Charlotte Hornets would have made for a great telenovela.

The drama of the original trade to the Los Angeles Lakers. The rescinding of that deal. The cross-country flights for him, Cam Reddish, and Dalton Knecht that were for naught. The ‘will they, won’t they?’ that shrouded the following months in Charlotte before Williams was eventually sent to the Phoenix Suns in a draft night trade that landed Liam McNeeley in the Queen City.

I’m tired after just providing a brief summary.

Thankfully for Mark, it seems as if he has found a home in the desert. The Suns have been frisky in the opening weeks of the 2025-26 NBA season, sprinting out of the gates to a 13-9 record that has them firmly in the mix of the Western Conference’s hotly contested playoff race.

Williams’ 12.9 points and 9.0 rebounds per game have been a catalyst to Phoenix’s hot start.

I reached out to Sam Cooper, co-host of The Timeline Podcast that covers the Phoenix Suns, to give Hornets’ fans a progress report of Williams’ first couple of months out west.

Q: How has Mark played on the defensive end? That is where he struggled the most in Charlotte, and from afar, it seems like he’s much improved.

A: Mark has been a very pleasant surprise for Phoenix on the defensive end, led mainly by his consistent motor and a surprising ability to switch out onto the perimeter in spurts. The Suns are seven points per 100 possessions better defensively with Williams on the floor, and while it’s true that he isn’t an elite rim protector in sheer block numbers, he’s altering enough shots down low to make a difference.

Q: How have his minutes/availability been this season? Williams only played in 106 of a potential 246 games in Charlotte.

A: His availability has been awesome, with the obvious caveat that Phoenix does not intend to play him in any back-to-backs this season.

That’s a big hit to their ability to compete at the same level in those games, but theoretically if Williams could finish the season with 60 GP at roughly 25 minutes per contest…that would be a lot more than anything he’s done previously.

Q: Overall impressions on his offensive game?

A: Williams is posting a modest 13 PPG so far, but I think the most important thing we’ve seen in his offense is the pace at which he plays. He has been very consistent in sprinting down the floor to beat slower-footed bigs in transition, and he’s provided Devin Booker the type of lob threat that Booker hasn’t had access to since Deandre Ayton left town over 2 seasons ago.

I do believe that Williams has even more offensive potential that the Suns aren’t fully utilizing, but hopefully that comes with more reps played together.
8:2

Q: How would you grade Mark’s performance 20 games into the season?

A: 20 games into the season I feel comfortable giving Mark Williams an A for his performance with Phoenix. While his stats are nothing special, his two-way impact has been felt in almost all of the Suns’ best lineups by net rating and he has also been consistently available.

Judging big men in the modern NBA can be difficult as it seems like they have to play so many different roles at once. Williams is embracing that challenge by showcasing some defensive versatility, and it also helps that he seems to be a great teammate in the locker room.

Q: How did you perceive the trade at the time, and how do you feel differently about it now?

A: At the time of the trade I felt that it was a real risk for Phoenix given their overall lack of future assets. Yet at the same time, I *never* understood those who panned the trade on the basis of Phoenix also taking Khaman Maluach 10th overall this past June.

Maluach, who just turned 19, is the Suns’ 4th-string center and clearly not ready to process the game at the required speed of a (hopeful) playoff team. Williams is a great option to hold down the Suns’ starting spot for multiple years while Maluach is given plenty of space to watch and learn. Maybe things change in 2-3 years, but for now Mark is firmly the guy in Phoenix.

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