PHOENIX– A 10-0 run ended the 101-97 Phoenix Suns loss to the Golden State Warriors on Thursday. But the main question mark has to surround head coach Jordan Ott's decision to bench Mark Williams in the fourth quarter.
Now, it's common that Williams hasn't played too many minutes this season. Despite his injury history and ramping up conditioning, some of it is matchup-based.
For instance, the last time that the Warriors and Suns squared off on the latter's home court, Oso Ighodaro was the one who closed the game at the center spot.
But with an undermanned Golden State team, it would've been a grand opportunity to let Williams feast. Instead, he was reduced to watching from the bench and seeing the game slip away.
As Ott walked briskly into the press conference and up on the podium, he was taciturn in his explanation for benching the starting big man.
“We thought a little bit on both ends, to be up and aggressive like it was in the start of the fourth, really impacted them,” Ott said. “We’re going to have to go through that and see if that was the right decision.”
Mark Williams wasn't a fan of Jordan Ott benching him
Now, players will play their role and try their best to understand the decisions being made. However, Williams seemed as confused as anyone as to why he didn't play.
The normally jovial, wide-smiling center didn't have his usual quirks. Instead, it was more serious and stoic, especially when approached about not playing in the fourth quarter.
“It’s tough. That’s what Coach (Ott) felt was best. We’ll probably go over it tomorrow in film, but I mean, I felt good,” Williams said postgame in the locker room. “I thought I’d get back in, but that’s how the game went.”
Jordan Ott gave his explanation for why Mark Williams sat the entire fourth quarter.
“We thought a little bit on both ends, to be up and aggressive like it was in the start of the fourth really impacted them. We’re going to have to go through that and see if that was the right… pic.twitter.com/LrbxNvpiHW
— Hayden Cilley (@HaydenCilley) February 6, 2026
For a team that has an abundance of bigs, Williams has been the standout. He's a true lob threat, paint presence, and someone with his near 10'0 standing reach, is a threat.
He's more conditioned, knows when to be assertive, and has won the Suns games before. It just doesn't make too much sense as to why he didn't play for any stretch of the fourth quarter.
Weeks prior, Ott mentioned getting Williams involved in the offense more. But this might be the straw that breaks the team's back and prevents future wins from happening in situations like these.
