Suns' silver lining of Jalen Green injury can't be overstated

The Phoenix Suns had themselves an enjoyable preseason, going 3-1 against both the Los Angeles Lakers and Brooklyn Nets. There was a trip to China in there as well, one which seemed to be a success for everybody except new addition Jalen Green. The 23-year-old aggrevating a hamstring issue on the trip that officially ruled him out of being available for the team come opening night.

In fact Green could wind up missing the first couple of weeks of the campaign, a shame given he hadn't missed a single regular season game in the two seasons prior to this one. Fans are excited to see just how much he can bring on the offensive end, although question marks rightly persist on the fit next to Devin Booker.

Green injury allows Booker to figure out his role in The Valley.

So while you would never wish injury on anybody - much less the best player the Suns got back in the Kevin Durant trade - there may yet be a silver lining to Green sitting out the first couple of weeks. This is the ideal time for Booker to get comfortable being the playmaker in Phoenix - which he settled into quickly during preseason - without having to worry about getting Green involved as well.

Booker has always been a great teammate in the sense he has no problem taking a back seat to Durant when required, and even giving up the last shot to somebody else if it is what his head coach wants. So it stands to reason that he could perhaps defer too much to Green in the early goings, so as to make the former Houston Rocket comfortable quickly.

While this is playing out, Booker also has to figure out how best to set up his teammates each night. The Suns suddenly have more point guard depth than anybody thought possible considering their offseason acquisitions, but we all know this is Booker's team and nobody comes close to replicating what he can out on the court.

So the best way to begin this season is by having Booker run the show, while also then getting back to being the elite scorer off the ball we know he can be alongside one of Jordan Goodwin, Collin Gillespie or Jared Butler. Lineups like those won't be as frequent once Green is healthy, so trying them out now while he sits looks like a smart way to approach his injury.

Ultimately head coach Jordan Ott will have a job on his hands trying to get the best out of both Booker and Green at the same time, but being forced to stagger their introduction both to each other and the starting lineup sure does feel like the right way to go about this. That is how you turn a negative into another positive in Phoenix.