Zach Lowe of The Ringer recently had Kirk Goldsberry on his podcast to break down the 10 players under the most pressure heading into the new NBA season, and Jalen Green could only manage an honorary mention.
Huh?
Green facing career defining season in The Valley
The duo has clearly not been paying attention to what is happening to Green with the Phoenix Suns. The former second overall pick heads into 2026-27 with his starting berth under serious threat. Something has to give with that five-man group, and swapping out Green in favor of Jordan Goodwin might just be the solution.
It is unfortunate for Green that he has been tasked with making it work in the backcourt with a player in Devin Booker who is a better, more well-rounded version of himself. He is also a much better playmaker, but having the franchise cornerstone set everybody up but himself has been a problem for the Suns for years.
Then there are the injuries, which limited Green to a career-low 32 appearances in his first season with the organization. Still only 24-years-old, he can only have so many more hamstring issues before some of his explosiveness is gone for good.
Green has a player option on the final year of his current contract that he can pick up next season, and right now, it is extremely unlikely the Suns will extend him beyond that point.
A fact made worse by Dillon Brooks, the other player in the trade for Kevin Durant alongside Green, who has already received an extension and has become a beloved player in Phoenix. He's also made the Houston Rockets look very silly for letting their emotional heartbreak go in the process.
Many fans in Houston likely forget Green ever suited up for the team at this point.
Green is under pressure to not end up in J.R. Smith role
If he is eventually brought off the bench by the Suns, it is not hard to envision Green effortlessly getting hot and torching opponents with 15-point outbursts while playing little to no defense, a style of play you can't survive for long periods anymore if you're trying to win big. It would signal Green transitioning into a sixth-man role for the rest of his career.
There is nothing wrong with being compared to Smith and Jamal Crawford, among the best sixth men this century, but when you were the centerpiece in a Durant trade to hit that point after less than two seasons is hugely disappointing.
Now that is pressure.
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