Out for at least five months! Mark Williams suffers serious injury, undergoes left shoulder surgery; Suns will rely more on two young big men.

Per Shams' report on September 12 Beijing time, Phoenix Suns center Mark Williams tore the labrum in his left shoulder while training this summer. He had surgery the previous day to fix the injury. Shams indicated the big man will miss significant time.

Gambadoro, a well-informed Suns beat reporter, first said the entire rehabilitation process would take "quite a while," and later added thatWilliams' recovery timeline is at least five months.If rehab goes smoothly without setbacks, he could return to play by February next year, which aligns with the recovery periods of other NBA players who have suffered similar injuries in recent years.

In his first three seasons with the Hornets, Williams dealt with injuries to his foot, thumb, and back. After being traded from Charlotte to Phoenix during the offseason, he played a career-high 60 regular-season games for the Suns last season. The former 15th pick only played four games after March 3 due to a left foot stress reaction, but overall was consistent: 55 starts, averaging 23.6 minutes, 11.7 points, 8 rebounds, and 0.9 blocks per game.

In June, the Suns extended a qualifying offer to Williams, making him a restricted free agent, and he quickly agreed to a three-year, $38 million contract with the team. The deal is fully guaranteed and runs through the 2028-29 season.

With Williams sidelined, the Phoenix Suns will lean more heavily on two young big men: third-year center Ighodaro and sophomore center Maluach.

Ighodaro played all 82 regular-season games for the Suns in the 2025-26 season, averaging 22 minutes, 6.5 points, and 5.1 rebounds per game. ESPN's Bobby Marks tweeted an analysis: the Suns had a net efficiency rating of +5.1 when the 24-year-old was on the floor, and -2.5 when he was off.

Maluach was the 10th pick in the 2025 draft. As a rookie, he appeared in 46 games, averaging just 8.9 minutes per game and playing a marginal role. However, he proved in July's Las Vegas Summer League that he can handle a heavier workload: in four games, he averaged 19.5 points, 12.8 rebounds, and 2 blocks.