Mark Williams was upgraded to available for the Phoenix Suns' game against the Charlotte Hornets on Thursday, April 3, 2026, and he is expected to come off the bench in Charlotte. Williams had missed the last 15 games with a left foot stress reaction, but his return gives Phoenix another center option for the matchup at the Spectrum Center.
The Suns and Hornets were set to tip at 4 p.m. MST, with Williams facing the team he once played for after a stretch on the sideline that opened the door for Oso Ighodaro to start at center. Williams had appeared in a career-high 56 games this season, averaging 11.6 points, 8.1 rebounds and 1 assist while shooting 63.3%.
His return arrives as Phoenix continues to work through a run of injury reinforcements. Dillon Brooks, Grayson Allen and Royce O'Neale have recently come back, while Haywood Highsmith remained out because of right knee injury management and Amir Coffey stayed sidelined with a left ankle sprain.
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For the Suns, Williams' availability is less about a single game than about what it suggests for the final stretch of the season. A player who has been efficient when healthy is back in the rotation, and Phoenix now has to decide how quickly to ramp him up after a 15-game absence.
