A torn labrum, repaired Thursday
An offseason workout cost the Phoenix Suns their starting center.
Mark Williams went under the knife Thursday to repair a torn labrum in his left shoulder, ESPN reported. The timeline is months, not weeks.
Phoenix opens the preseason in Detroit on October 5 and the regular season in Portland on October 21. Williams misses both. The front office now has to rebuild its frontcourt around the absence of the player it just committed to.
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The extension was signed eight weeks ago
In July the Suns gave Williams three years and $38 million, fully guaranteed. A sensible bet on a 24-year-old center coming off the best year of his career: 11.7 points and 8 rebounds in 60 games, 55 as a starter.
That number, 60, is where the trouble sits. Williams has played 166 games in four NBA seasons. Fewer than 42 a year out of a possible 82. The durability questions trailed him out of Charlotte, and a shoulder repair does nothing to quiet them.
Duke to Phoenix, and still waiting on the payoff
Drafted 15th overall in 2022 out of Duke, Williams gave the Hornets three seasons before the move to Arizona. The per-game line holds up: 12 points, 8.5 rebounds, 132 starts in 166 appearances. When he plays, he produces. That was never the question.
Phoenix went 45-37 last season and got swept by Oklahoma City in the first round. The plan was a settled starting five and a step forward. Instead the Suns start October improvising in the paint.
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