Phoenix Suns guard Jalen Green is still getting his feet wet in The Valley. After being acquired via the blockbuster Kevin Durant trade last summer, the former No. 2 overall pick has played just 86 minutes across six games entering games played Feb. 10 due to a recurring hamstring injury.
Barring another setback, Green is poised to start ramping up with a Suns group that’s nine games above .500 and in the playoff picture heading toward All-Star Weekend. How he fits with the supporting cast is something new head coach Jordan Ott is working to define, but the fact that Phoenix is outscoring opponents 139-99 in the 47 minutes Green’s shared with star Devin Booker so far suggests the ceiling for the Suns is higher than we’ve witnessed to this point so far.
In a video posted to the Suns Instagram account, Green weighed in on what the team does well, his fit, and how he’s excited to play alongside the Suns bigs who’ve exceeded their own expectations thus far.
“Rolling bigs. Lob threats. Play fast,” Green said of the Suns offensive mantra. “It’s a good opportunity for me to get downhill and, you know, be a threat.”
Suns fans haven’t had much opportunity to see Green at his best, but the athleticism he was able to show off during his time with the Houston Rockets is up there with anyone else in the sport.
His quickness and ability to slash to the bucket will be another weapon the Suns weave into their current offerings alongside big men Mark Williams and Oso Ighodaro, who received high praise from Green.
Jalen Green praises Suns big men Mark Williams and Oso Ighodaro
“Oso’s really good. He’s got high IQ,” Green said of the Suns’ sophomore center who’s continued to up his game after a successful rookie campaign.
“Mark is a big presence down there, also high IQ,” Green said of Phoenix’s starting center.
“I’m looking forward to having more minutes with them.”
Us, too, Jalen.
With the preface that any and all numbers for the Suns including Green fall into the “small sample size” bucket, the early returns are promising.
There’s of course the aforementioned stat that the Suns have outscored opponents by 40 points in 47 minutes when Green and Booker share the floor, but that’s not all.
According to NBA.com data, the lineup of Green, Booker, Grayson Allen, Dillon Brooks and Williams sports an offensive rating of 120 with a defensive rating of 92.3 for a sterling net rating of 27.7 points per 100 possessions.
That same five-man lineup with Ighodaro swapped in for Williams has also been impressive, with a net rating of 18.6 points per 100 possessions.
The Suns’ defense is what has impressed most this season, leaping from a 28th-ranked NBA defense last season based on defensive rating to No. 9 in the category at the time of writing this season.
But if the early returns are any indication of Green’s impact, the Phoenix offense is set to receive a huge jolt at the perfect time.