As the retooled Phoenix Suns continue to beat expectations in the 2025-26 season, they've quietly solidified themselves as a legitimate playoff team in the Western Conference - sitting at No. 6 as of now. But while the wins are piling up, injuries have been the one consistent hurdle standing in their way.
Jalen Green, the centerpiece of the Kevin Durant trade with Houston, has barely seen the floor. He’s logged just 54 minutes across four games this season due to a nagging hamstring injury that just won’t seem to let up.
Devin Booker, the heartbeat of this franchise, has also missed time. After dealing with a groin injury in December, he’s now sidelined again - this time with an ankle sprain suffered on a fluke play against the Atlanta Hawks.
The good news? It’s expected to be a short-term absence, likely keeping him out for about a week.
With two of their top offensive weapons out, you’d expect the Suns to struggle generating points. But in their January 27 win over the Brooklyn Nets, Jordan Ott’s squad showed they’ve got more than one way to get the job done - and they did it by flipping the modern NBA script.
Paint Party in Phoenix
In that 106-102 win, the Suns poured in a season-high 72 points in the paint. That’s not just a good night - that’s a throwback clinic in rim dominance in an era obsessed with spacing and three-point shooting. To put it in perspective, over two-thirds of their total points came from inside the painted area.
And it wasn’t an accident. With Booker and Green unavailable, Phoenix made a clear decision to attack Brooklyn where they’re weakest - down low. The Nets rank in the bottom five in the league in defensive rating, and the Suns wasted no time exploiting that soft spot.
The focal point of that interior attack? Mark Williams.
Williams looked like he came straight out of an NBA2K highlight reel. He ran the pick-and-roll to near perfection, finishing tough looks at the rim and throwing down a few that shook the backboard. He set the tone early, putting up 10 points in the first quarter on 5-of-7 shooting - helping the Suns keep pace with Michael Porter Jr., who dropped 12 in the same frame.
By the final buzzer, Williams had notched a season-high 27 points on an ultra-efficient 13-of-16 shooting night (that’s 81.3% for those keeping score at home).
Dillon Brooks chipped in with 26 points of his own, hitting 60% from the field, while Grayson Allen added 18 more to round out a well-balanced scoring effort.
Don’t Dismiss the Win
Sure, the Nets are one of the league’s worst teams this season, and it’s easy to brush off a win like this. But what stood out wasn’t just the result - it was how Phoenix got there.
This wasn’t a lucky shooting night or one guy getting hot. It was a coordinated, deliberate shift in offensive identity.
And it worked.
Williams’ offensive engagement has quietly become a key barometer for the Suns. When he scores 20 or more points, Phoenix is 4-1 this season.
The lone loss? An overtime battle against the Jazz when both Brooks and Green were out.
Of course, feeding the paint won’t always be the answer. Some matchups just won’t allow it - and we saw that clearly in the January 25 loss to the Miami Heat. The Suns went ice cold from deep, hitting just 7-of-35 from three (20%), and Williams only got six shot attempts in that game, converting four.
But that’s exactly why this new wrinkle matters. When the outside shot isn’t falling - and that’s going to happen over an 82-game season - having a reliable interior game gives the Suns another lever to pull.
A More Balanced Suns Offense
Getting Williams involved doesn’t just help in games like the one against Brooklyn. It also opens up the floor for scorers like Brooks, Booker (when he’s back), and Green (when healthy). It forces defenses to collapse, creates better looks from the perimeter, and gives Ott more flexibility in how he wants to attack.
This stretch without Booker and Green has been a challenge, no doubt - but it’s also been an opportunity. Ott and his staff are discovering new combinations, new play calls, and new ways to win games that don’t rely solely on perimeter firepower.
The Suns are still a work in progress, but they’ve shown they’re more than just a jump-shooting team. The paint production against Brooklyn wasn’t a fluke - it was a glimpse of a team learning how to win in multiple ways. And if they can carry that inside-out balance forward once Booker and Green return, this team becomes a whole lot harder to guard.
Bottom line: Phoenix is figuring things out on the fly, and they’re doing it in ways that could pay off big come playoff time.