Suns See Mark Williams’ Lower Body Strength As Key To Long-Term Health

Phoenix Suns center Mark Williams is looking to get past his injury prone profile by increasing his lower body strength. This is according to a report by Arizona Republic’s Duane Rankin.

Williams missed the Suns’ preseason opener against the Los Angeles Lakers on Friday. He may miss the majority of the preseason, if not its entirety. The Suns believe this is the best path forward to get him in the best possible shape.

“This is a little bit different but I think it’s just more precautionary,” Williams said. “Just trying to prepare myself for the season like they’ve said. “It’s definitely new territory for me… It’s definitely different not playing preseason but it’s been good.”

According to new Suns head coach Jordan Ott, Williams has been focused on his strength since early July. He’s believed to have more than doubled his lower body strength and is participating in everything except 5-on-5. Williams said he expects to play opening night on Oct. 22.

Phoenix acquired Williams via trade, along with a 2029 second-round pick, in exchange for Vasilije Micic, the 29th pick in the 2025 NBA Draft (Liam McNeeley) and a 2029 first-round pick (least favorable of Cleveland, Minnesota and Utah).

Suns coach Jordan Ott addressing Mark Williams, who won’t play in Friday’s preseason opener vs. Lakers in Palm Desert: “Since July 1, he’s been in here more than anyone else, developing his strength. I think he’s more than doubled his lower body strength in that time period. He… pic.twitter.com/hl48PUgVur

— Duane Rankin (@DuaneRankin) October 1, 2025

Can Williams Shed Injury Prone Tag?

Williams appeared set to become a member of the Los Angeles Lakers in February until the trade was rescinded. The Lakers reportedly were concerned about his medical report and have since moved on by signing Deandre Ayton.

In three seasons, Williams has played just 106 games. He offers some tempting potential, averaging 15.3 points, 10.2 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.2 blocks in 27 minutes per game last season.

The Suns seem to believe the majority of his issues stem from his lack of lower body strength, so they’ve made that a key area of focus this offseason.

“I think this is gonna be one of his best years as far as playing in as many games as possible,” said teammate Nick Richards, who was also alongside Williams in Charlotte. “I think once the season starts, hopefully he’s able to play more than 70 games.”

The Suns currently have a platoon of Williams, Richards, Oso Ighadoro and rookie Khaman Maluach at center. They are certainly equipped to handle any extended absence from their bigs. At the very least, they’ll hope they have plenty of internal competition to bring out the best in their centers.