Motivation can come in any way; just ask Phoenix Suns center Mark Williams. He's been one of the most pivotal pieces of the team, despite having his minutes heavily watched.
Before he was traded to the Suns on draft night, the Los Angeles Lakers tried to trade for Williams at the NBA trade deadline. However, that offer ended up getting axed because of a pending Williams physical.
It made the latter quite furious, and even talked about making organizations pay for not taking a chance on him. Now, he'll have a chance to exact revenge against the team that almost acquired him.
Still, that's not the full motivation for preparing to play well, but it certainly helps.
It’s always a little extra, but I think we’re just focused on getting wins,” Williams said via AZCentral's Duane Rankin. “It doesn’t really matter who we’re playing.”
Mark Williams is ready for Suns-Lakers showdown
The center has arguably been the Suns' most valuable player when he's on the floor. His awareness, hands, ability as a screener, rebounder, and one to simply be a paint threat is something Phoenix hasn't had for quite some time.
Over his last three games, Williams has gobbled up 41 rebounds, with 17 of those coming on the offensive glass. Plus, the growing chemistry between him and Devin Booker has been a sight to behold.
Also, the statistics back up the value, with the center having his team be 7.5 points better when he is on the floor. Although the defense was a top concern, it's been anything but that.
Again, with the Suns heavily monitoring Williams's minutes, it makes it difficult to pinpoint how much he can play on a given night. However, the range seems to be between 24-30 minutes, depending on the outcome of the game.
For Monday's contest, he might vow to stay in longer if he's having a quality game. Sticking it to Los Angeles could be a motive, but stacking another W in the win column could trump that.
