Jordan Ott’s strange explanation for benching Mark Williams in loss to Warriors

PHOENIX – A 10-0 run ended 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 him Mark Williams in the fourth quarter.

Now it is common to Williams didn’t play too many minutes this season. Despite his injury history and increased fitness, some of it is match-based.

For example, the last time the Warriors and Suns played at home, it was Oso Ighodaro who closed out the game at center.

But with an undermanned Golden State team, it would be a great opportunity to let Williams enjoy himself. Instead, he was reduced to watching from the bench and watching the game slip away.

As Ott briskly entered the press conference and took the podium, he was silent in his explanation for the starting big man’s bench.

“We were thinking a little bit on both ends, being alert and aggressive like we were at the beginning of the fourth really affected them,” Ott said. “We’ll have to go through it and see if it was the right decision.”

Mark Williams was not a fan of Jordan Ott benching him

Now the players will play their part and do their best to understand the decisions being made. However, Williams seemed as confused as anyone about why he didn’t play.

The normally cheerful, wide-smiling center was without his usual quirks. Instead, it was more serious and stoicespecially when talking 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 on film, but I mean, I felt good,” Williams said in the locker room after the game. “I thought I’d come back, but that’s how the game went.”

Jordan Ott gave his explanation for why Mark Williams sat the entire fourth quarter.

“We were thinking a little bit on both sides, being alert and aggressive like we were at the start of the fourth really affected them. We’ll have to go through it and see if it was the right one… pic.tvitter.com/LrbkNvpiHV

— Hayden Cilley (@HaidenCilley) February 6, 2026

For a team that has an abundance of bigs, Williams stands out. He’s a real lob threat, a presence in the paint, and someone with his reach near 10’0 is a threat.

He’s more conditioned, knows when to go hard and has won Suns games before. It just doesn’t make much sense why he didn’t play any part of the fourth quarter.

Weeks before, Ott mentioned the inclusion of Williams in transgression more. But this could be the last straw for the team and prevent future wins in these situations.