After a hot start to the season for Phoenix, the question remains about who Devin Booker’s main running mate will be. Unfortunately for the Suns and Jalen Green, his availability has been limited due to multiple
hamstring injuries. Green injured himself during training camp and was out for the entire preseason. He was recovering, getting back to game speed, and that took until game nine of the season, when the Suns took on the Clippers at home.
For someone who had played all 82 games in the previous two seasons, this was difficult for Suns fans to stomach, as the injury bug has run rampant in recent years. Although this was a frustrating case, fans were patient in waiting for his debut, and it truly paid off.
In this performance, the guard was electric, being the lead scorer in his debut with 29 points and setting a Suns franchise record for the most threes in a debut with six. This was a positive sign for all the non-believers in his fit next to Booker as he looked to thrive in the grey areas of offense when he was out. Everything was looking good until the next game.
Sadly for Green and Suns fans, he tweaked the same hamstring again just the following game, seven minutes in. From recent updates, we now know the timetable for his return.
For everyone involved, this is tough. Green was looking to stand out here in Phoenix and prove he can be that dynamic scorer in a new city. I am always someone who does not count a player out until after three destinations, and Green was one who I thought could shine next to Booker. With him under pressure as a number two overall pick and fighting to be a number one option in Houston, this new role suited him better.
Being Booker’s running mate, blossoming in areas where he struggles, while also commanding enough offensive pressure from the defense to let Book dominate as well. This was the goal and the vision, and sadly, it has been delayed until the start of the season.
With all this in mind, and the Suns having a “tester” season as I would refer to it, this is not the worst-case scenario. Since there are no championship-or-bust hopes, for the first time in a couple of years, there is no rush. The Suns can let Green take all the time in the world he needs to get back and be himself, the one we saw in his first game here.
The timetable of four to eight weeks puts us around the new year, and I would expect them to hold him out for a more extended period. They have done this by managing Mark Williams early on this year as well, with Green to start.
Now, can Green be that running mate? Only time will tell, and the short sample size definitely says he can, but someone will have to step up to hold it over. It may be multiple players as well, ones the Suns may be trying to build up trade value off of. If one of those pieces can generate the Suns some potential assets to either strengthen their core or find a piece via the draft, that could be key.
We have already seen this growth with veterans Grayson Allen and Royce O’Neale. Their success from three-point land has helped the Suns be a top-tier team from behind the arc and has spread out their offense with Green out. Having multiple players shoot 50% from the field in games and score double digits has led this team to many victories early. The real question is, can this hold out for the entire season, or is this an early hot streak?
Regardless, the Suns and their players see the benefits as they win games and the team finds out the value of its assets.
Who Will it Be?
Ultimately, it will be the veterans coming together as one. One or two of these impactful role players will have to step up offensively to carry that workload until Green is back. Once he is, that is when the team can really evaluate who is the best fit around their superstar. There will be many questions we look for once we get to that point, like
- How does Green look in the second half of the season with Booker?
- Have injuries limited the ability to see them at their best this year?
- Have others played up their trade value to be moved?
- How much space do they have in free agency next season?
Future Outlook
For the Suns this year, even with the stretch and waive to Bradley Beal’s contract, they find themselves underneath both aprons and as a luxury tax team. This means they are now free of all trade and signing restrictions that had hindered their ability to make moves last season. With this freedom, everything becomes easier, especially if players play up their value.
Here is where the Suns are currently in the apron situation.
This is a multi-year view of the Suns’ contract situation. As you can see, not only are they no longer an apron team, but they also have flexibility with free agents. They have five free agents, two of whom are key pieces of their team this year. Yes, they will have to resign Mark Williams and Collin Gillespie, but this situation is not as drastic as other years, where it’s veteran minimums or nothing.
With contracts like those of Nick Richards, Grayson Allen, and Royce O’Neale on the team, this could result in some trades for the Suns. Those contracts themselves add up to $32M and could free up some second-option money or, if not, multiple key young ones, be new role players if the Suns find that is the way they want to go.
Final Thoughts
Ultimately, the Suns should wait out this whole Jalen Green scenario and let it grow some legs. Before he had even played for the Suns, people were putting him in trade articles, and I do think he deserves a shot to show what he has.
Being a second option and not having to prove so much in Houston could be precisely what he needs to thrive and be his best. Or these injuries could continue to hinder this season and not give us the whole idea of this duo. If we get to that point — going into next season — then more questions arise about what direction this team is truly heading in.
Early on, they have shown they can maintain these expectations, and I would see them continue to do so as the year goes on. When Green is back, we get to see the true version of this beast, and only time will tell if that is going to blossom or shrivel, and the suns have to look elsewhere.
