Grayson Allen is giving Suns' head coach Jordan Ott a new headache to solve

The Phoenix Suns are heading back to The Valley after a two-game preseason tilt in China versus the Brooklyn Nets, in which they won the first contest in impressive fashion in overtime, before dropping the second by only two points. One thing has become clear quickly with this group, and that is that the vibes are a lot higher than in seasons past. Even Kevin Durant has admitted as much.

Of the many players head coach Jordan Ott took a look at over in Macau, few improved their stock more than swingman Grayson Allen. With Jalen Green continuing to miss time through injury - and not likely to be back until the opening game of the regular season at the earliest - it is Allen who has been put into the familiar position of trying to step up in the absence of a better teammate.

Allen is playing his way into big minutes in this rotation.

This is a spot he was in during his first season in Phoenix when he outplayed Bradley Beal, who missed nearly half the season through injury. Last season was a misstep, with Allen giving up his starting spot to point guard Tyus Jones, before suffering through some nigglings setbacks himself. He also bulked up a ton, although in hindsight that was perhaps not the best idea given his skills.

Now entering year three, and Allen looks to have slimmed down some while also finding himself back in a starting berth. That won't continue when Green is back, but what Allen can now be is the link between the older version of this roster and what is to come. He's capable of playing 30 minutes a night off the bench, and in certain lineups can be an (admittedly undersized) three.

He's also going to get a lot of run off the bench, and the trip to China felt like an audition to be the sixth man here. While Royce O'Neale held that role down last season, the departures of Durant and Beal mean it feels like the rotation is moving back towards the skills of Allen.

There's a lot of overlap between what he and O'Neale bring to the group, but O'Neale worked better with the departed veterans. Allen on the other hand is a tad underrated defensively, while also being able to slot into Green's role and play as a shooting guard next to Devin Booker. Considering he was a prime trade candidate a matter of weeks ago, this is a massive turnaround.

It may still be that Allen gets moved before the deadline this season, but if that happens it will likely be because he played so well that the Suns were able to net something like a first round pick for him. But playing 29 and then 23 minutes respectively in Green's absence is the strongest indicator yet that coach Ott simply has to find a spot for him in The Valley this season.