Suns starting lineup won’t have clarity heading into opening night

The Phoenix Suns have returned to The Valley after a two-game preseason trip to China in which they faced the Brooklyn Nets, and there was a lot to like about how the team played out there. They split the pair of games - with a victory over the Los Angeles Lakers prior to that - with the vibes around the team much improved compared to what we've seen in the last few years.

The Suns have one remaining fixture - against versus the Lakers - before the real fun begins, and it will be another chance for head coach Jordan Ott to see what he has with this group. Already it has been nice to see him use the three rookie players he has at his disposal some - and in the case of center Khaman Maluach - the sooner he is able to contribute, the better.

Phoenix still has two lingering issues ahead of opening night.

Although not officially confirmed yet by the franchise, the Suns are going to have one - if not two - of their likely starting five unavailable when the regular season kicks off. Not an ideal situation given this is the year in which they are going to try out plenty of combinations around Devin Booker, and also create a culture and identity in Phoenix.

Starting with the more likely of the two who will be available, and we still haven't seen Jalen Green in action. This is a problem because Booker is looking as comfortable as ever setting up his teammates from the point guard position, while Grayson Allen has again slotted in well next to him. Green is obviously the better player than Allen, but question marks will remain about the fit as long as he sits.

It would be great to see him play against the Lakers to get an idea of how this is all going to go down, but it is unclear if that will happen. The word out of Phoenix is that Green is aiming to be ready for opening night, but hamstring injuries can be tricky to gauge and the organization isn't going to rush the best player they got for Kevin Durant back from injury.

Then there is center Mark Williams, which is an altogether more depressing situation. Coach Ott mentioned during media availability before heading to China how the former Charlotte Hornet had dilligently spent the offseason working out. But he stopped short of saying just how much of that happened on the court, while he also has not appeared for the team to this point.

He won't suit up versus Los Angeles and he's less likely to be there come opening night either, which puts the team in a tough spot. Maluach has looked more comfortable and imposing defensively than could have realistically been hoped for this early on, although on the offensive end it is another story. He's as raw as they come - and although willing - playing him big minutes too soon could backfire.

The Suns don't want to crush his confidence and expect too much of him while Williams is out of the rotation, although Nick Richards will also fill in. It is a concern though that two of three main additions from this offseason - both acquired through different kinds of trades - are already failing to get on the court before ever playing an official game for the Suns.