Labels are often earned in the NBA, and unfortunately, Jalen Green has earned his "non-playmaker" label. Granted, he was never expected to make plays in Houston, so his role should be taken into account when labeling him.
However, even for a player of his archetype, Green did himself no favors in the playmaking department. He shot, shot, and shot again, as any facilitation fell by the wayside. Green has the potential to be a sensational scorer, but even the staunchest Rockets fans can't fool themselves into calling Green a complete offensive player. So the distribution part of his game — a big part of the game for someone with the ball in his hands so much — remains a huge question mark as he enters year five, and year one in the Valley.
Here's The Ringer's Zach Lowe on a recent episode of The Zach Lowe Show discussing Green's lack of playmaking development last season:
"I have been a Jalen Green optimist. Last year was... not good. And, the decision-making just hasn't progressed either as a passer or as an, in the paint, 'I'm just going to fly at the rim and hope that this wild layup goes in'..."
This might be Green's biggest obstacle as a player, and it's the one not many folks talk about because everyone seems focused on whether he's a good enough scorer to be a top scoring option.
Green can be a lightning rod scorer and he can go freezing cold. But whether he's scoring or not, he hasn't provided much depth outside of isolation scoring during his career. Instead of looking to get his teammates involved, Green gets tunnel vision even worse and keeps shooting and shooting, often to his own detriment. Thus, the biggest hole in Green's game might actually be what he overlooks by shooting the ball without much thought.
Jalen Green's playmaking still has a long way to go
Will a new team, new role, new coach, and new expectations allow Green to workshop his playmaking skills? It can't hurt.
Of course, Jordan Ott is a first-time head coach so we won't know what his system looks like until we see it on the floor. But on a team with very few offensive options, quick ball movement would behoove the Suns.
I think Green will be good in Phoenix, for the record. I don't think his role ever fully matched his skillset in Houston and a fresh start could do him some good. But a substantial improvement in his playmaking feels like a necessary step if he wants to shed the labels that he's been tagged with thus far. If it doens't happen after five years, it might never happen.