The Phoenix Suns will aim to improve to 2-1 when they face the Denver Nuggets on Saturday at 9:00 p.m. ET, though they’ll be shorthanded against the Nikola Jokic-led squad.
The Suns are on the second leg of a back-to-back set and have ruled out big man Mark Williams due to right knee injury management, according to the NBA’s official injury report. He’ll join Jalen Green on the sideline, who is still nursing a strained right hamstring.
Williams has been a regular on the injury report his entire career and appeared in a career-high 44 regular-season games with the Charlotte Hornets in the 2024-25 campaign, during which he averaged 15.3 points, 10.2 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.2 blocks across 26.6 minutes per contest. The 2022 No. 15 overall pick was traded to the Suns on draft night this summer, and it wouldn’t be surprising to see the club continue managing his playing time throughout the season.
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What Mark Williams’ absence means for Suns
Through two games this season, Williams has averaged 4.0 points and 8.5 rebounds in 19.0 minutes per game. With the 23-year-old big man sidelined, Nick Richards and Khaman Maluach are candidates for an uptick in playing time behind starting center Oso Ighodaro.
Maluach, the No. 10 overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, has logged just five minutes this season and didn’t see the floor in the team’s season-opening win over the Sacramento Kings on Wednesday. Williams’ absence could give the Duke product a chance to contribute more off the bench, while Richards could see double-digit minutes for the first time this season.
Williams is expected to have his workload carefully managed throughout the 2025-26 campaign, and his next opportunity to suit up will come in Monday’s matchup against the Utah Jazz.
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