Phoenix Suns: Alan Williams Sets Example For Cracking An NBA Rotation

Alan Williams may not be a well-known name outside the Phoenix Suns fan base, but he’s a perfect example of the kind of effort and attitude it takes to crack an NBA rotation.

Alan Williams has played a grand total of 218 minutes in his fledgling NBA career, with only 68 of them coming before this season. He’s the Phoenix Suns‘ third string center, he’s undersized at 6’8″ and the only reason anyone would know his name outside of the team’s fan base is for his garbage time contributions and instant classic bench celebrations.

And yet, as Friday night’s home win over the Chicago Bulls showed, the 24-year-old Phoenix native is perhaps the perfect example of how to make the most of limited opportunities and what it takes to crack an NBA rotation.

To be clear, Williams is nowhere near doing so with the Suns. His best performance of the season came on a night where Alex Len was serving a one-game suspension, Tyson Chandler left in the first half with an ankle injury, Dragan Bender was also out injured and Marquese Chriss once again struggled with foul trouble.

Averaging 2.9 points and 3.8 rebounds in 6.8 minutes per game over his 21 appearances this season, Alan Williams’ best game of the season might not have been his “big break” in Phoenix.

It was, however, a terrific inside look at what it will take for him to finally crack the rotation of an NBA roster, especially when it comes to staying prepared and having the right attitude.

Before Friday night’s game, “Sauce” had played a grand total of 126 minutes over 20 games this season, with only three of those games featuring double-digit minutes.

He didn’t let that slow him down against Chicago, producing the fourth double-double of his NBA career with 14 points (on 7-of-12 shooting), 11 boards and four blocks in 24 minutes off the bench. He was also a +13 in that time.

It was a triumphant moment for a local kid who’s made the most of his limited opportunities during his time with the Suns, making staying prepared look easy.

"“I don’t know how difficult it really is, because it just seems natural to go out there and whenever you get your number called, you play,” he said. “I try to play with the same mentality every time I step out there.“The coaching staff and everybody is great about keeping each other encouraged whether you play or not. You always feel like you’re involved and I always try to stay focused on the game whether I’m playing or not.”"

The funny thing is, Alan Williams’ trademark bench celebrations are a driving force behind that very sense of togetherness he described — the same kind of “family first” mentality head coach Earl Watson has been preaching since he first took over for Jeff Hornacek.

On a night where his team was completely out of options at center, Williams stepped up in a bigger way than his normal liftoffs from the bench in celebration of a teammate’s highlight play. He battled on the boards, cleaned up around the rim and helped Phoenix earn its first home win since Jan. 3.

According to the Suns, Williams has played exactly four games in his NBA career where he’s logged at least 17 minutes, and in all four of those games, he’s finished with a double-double.

Devin Booker, the next franchise cornerstone for the Suns who finished with a game-high 27 points on the night, said it was great to see Williams flourish like that because of all the things he does for the team that fly under the radar.

"“Alan does a lot of things that no one knows for this team,” Booker said. “He’s a leader on this team and you see how he supports us, his reactions of the week, but he brings it every day in practice, every day on the bench. So to see him out there shining, getting his opportunity in front of his hometown, it’s unbelievable.”"

Williams is unlikely to land a permanent fixture in Watson’s rotation anytime soon, especially since Tyson Chandler has plenty left in the tank and Alex Len’s upcoming restricted free agency needs a more hands on approach (A.K.A. hopefully more minutes for the fourth-year Ukrainian).

However, if Chandler’s ankle injury keeps him sidelined alongside Bender, who’s out for the next 4-6 weeks, there’s a possible opening in the Suns’ rotation for Williams to make an even bigger name for himself than just the beloved Sauce moniker within the greater Phoenix area.

Never one to shy away from an NBA comparison, head coach Earl Watson helped describe Williams’ potential path by telling the story of someone he played with in Utah who came in on a couple of 10-day contracts, scratched and clawed his way like it was his last game every night, and eventually found a permanent place in the league.

"“A team saw the minutes he got, limited minutes, and said, ‘We need a starting small forward,” Watson recalled. “‘We need somebody who has character, who has a positive attitude,’ and they signed him to a three- or four-year deal worth like $12 million.“He went there, he helped turned that program around, they had a big-time push in the playoffs, big-time records, and then someone said, ‘I like the way he plays, let’s pay him $70 million.’ And that player is DeMarre Carroll.”"

DeMarre Carroll’s steady yet meteoric rise is the rare exception in the NBA, so no one should go blowing up Sauce’s big night just yet. It may take a while for Williams to actually crack a fully healthy NBA rotation, and it may not even happen in Phoenix when all is said and done.

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But for a player whose greatest attribute as a teammate is how frequently and how animatedly he leaps from the bench to celebrate his teammates, perhaps we shouldn’t be surprised by how quickly Sauce can rise to the occasion when he actually gets his chances.