It has been over a month since Jalen Green last played for the Phoenix Suns. He made a loud first impression, dropping 29 points in his debut with Phoenix. Then, in the very next game on November 8 against the Clippers, he did not make it out of the first quarter. He pulled up with a right hamstring strain, and the timeline attached to it was four to six weeks.
That was 36 days ago. Which puts us right in the window where a reevaluation makes sense. So now the question shifts from how long to when. When do we see Jalen Green suit up again for the Phoenix Suns?
It is an unfortunate situation. Hamstring injuries demand patience. The risk of aggravation is real, which makes caution the right approach every time. Still, it does not make it any less frustrating. Jalen Green had not missed a game in more than two years. He arrives in Phoenix, and suddenly he is on the injury report for the opening stretch of the season. That feels painfully familiar. The coin flip curse finds new ways to hang around.
Once you move past the superstition, it comes down to reality. A 23-year-old player whose game is built on burst and quickness injured a critical part of what makes him effective. The Suns have handled it the right way, even if it tests everyone’s patience.
According to Arizona Sports’ John Gambadoro, the expectation is that Green could return around Christmas. That timeline puts his reevaluation squarely in front of us, and finally gives this situation a clearer horizon.
So that puts us right around the six-week mark since the injury for a return.
The blessing in disguise is that the Suns have not needed Jalen Green’s services as much as we first feared. When he went down, when the team was 5-5, the schedule ahead looked brutal. Instead of sinking, Phoenix treaded water. Since the injury, they have gone 9-6. That matters because it buys patience. It allows the organization to stay cautious without feeling forced.
Now it becomes a waiting game. Maybe the gift under the tree this Christmas is seeing Jalen Green back on the floor. Because who he is, and what he could be, matters to the long-term direction of this franchise. He is young. He has two years left on his deal. He could be a building block. He could become a valuable trade chip. None of that gets answered until he is healthy and playing consistent minutes.
And until then, all you can do is wait.
