Jalen Green could make a leap with the Suns he wouldn't have in Houston

The Phoenix Suns are going to be a drastically different team next season, and it is one that many don't believe will even make the play-in tournament. Many over/under projections out there have them sitting at roughly 31.5 wins, and only the potential addition of Jonathan Kuminga looks like it could change that.

Kuminga isn't likely to land in The Valley this offseason - even if Phoenix did push to see if this package could get a deal done around Nick Richards and Grayson Allen - and he may even prefer a move to a worse situation than that of the Suns out West. Which means new additions Dillon Brooks and Jalen Green are going to have even more pressure on them to succeed right away.

Phoenix could be perfect place for Green to hone playmaking skills.

We already know Brooks is going to become the defensive lynchpin for this roster - and outperform expectations in the process - but the path to contributing in a big way is less clear for Green. He's a 23-year-old gunner who on paper does a lot of the things Devin Booker does already, and he doesn't do them as well.

But landing with this team could be the perfect chance for him to become more of a playmaker as he moves into what the front office hopes is the next phase of his career. Consider that in Booker's first three seasons in the league, the most assists he managed per game was 4.7. It wasn't until the fourth that he managed 6.8, and the year after that he was an All-Star for the first time.

Green's 3.4 assists in year four last time out were both in line with his career average, and slightly below his career best of season three (3.5). On paper then there isn't much to suggest Green can follow into the footsteps of his new teammate and take his offensive game to the next level by setting the table for others.

But we saw a small sample size when Fred VanVleet was injured for the Houston Rockets in the past, which allowed Green to handle the ball and look to feed others more. It was far from perfect - Green used his athleticism to make up for some mistakes or inability to put the ball where he wanted to on every possession - but it wasn't a complete disaster either.

Becoming more of a point guard was something that was never going to happen in Houston, both because the Rockets have VanVleet signed to a large deal, and because they're inching closer to true contention and don't have the time for such experiments. But the Suns do, and they've already hinted at playing Green as the starting point guard to begin next season.

Doing so would allow Booker to go back to being the killer we know he can be by scorching opponents with his scoring, but it would also potentially add a new dimension to Green's game. The Suns have the time to attempt such a change as well, because they're not going anywhere in 2025-26 anyway.

This is a brilliant opportunity for a player entering his fifth season - and with clear All-Star potential - to take that next step that couldn't have happened with his previous team. Green is still so young - and admittedly isn't a ton of defensive help each night - so turning into more of a playmaker would be a brilliant next step. This can happen for him in The Valley.