Phoenix Suns fans are looking forward to seeing Jalen Green play for the first time this season. On Wednesday, the Suns confirmed that the athletic guard is set to make his season debut on Thursday. The 23-year-old was listed as probable in the team’s injury report. The team will face the Los Angeles Clippers, who will be without All-Stars James Harden and Kawhi Leonard. Green was acquired by the Suns over the summer via a trade with the Houston Rockets for Kevin Durant.
Green has missed the first eight games of the campaign due to a hamstring injury. Fans have yet to see how he’ll play with the rest of the roster. Ahead of the preseason games, the 6-foot-4 guard sustained the injury. This time, fans are close to seeing him in action with his backcourt partner, Devin Booker.
Ahead of the Suns’ 118-107 loss to the Golden State Warriors on Tuesday, head coach Jordan Ott gave a positive update on Green.
“It’s great. Like it’s another really, really good step in the right direction. Played five-on-five today up and down. With a day in between before the next game, we’ll see exactly where he’s at, but definitely trending in the right direction, it’s a good sight to see,” Ott said.
“It’s just how he reacts. This is his highest day to date. The ability to get up and down. Now it’s been multiple times and just see how he feels. How far was he able to push it and then how he feels tomorrow will give us a good indicator of what is next.”
The Suns will have another scorer in Jalen Green, which will give them a boost.
How will Jalen Green impact the Suns?
Jalen Green has developed into one of the best scoring guards in the league. During his time with the Rockets, the young backcourt star averaged 20.1 points and 3.4 assists on 42.2% shooting from the field in four seasons.
The Suns started the season relying heavily on Booker as the main scorer. Through the first eight games, the former Kentucky guard has carried Phoenix with his 31 ppg and seven apg. The four-time All-Star is the only player averaging at least 20 points this season. Dillon Brooks, who was part of the Durant trade, is the second-leading scorer with 19.3 ppg.
Having Green on the roster will take some load off Booker and Brooks. With an average of 116.9 points per game and a 14th-place ranking in the NBA, a consistent scorer could boost the team’s scoring.
For other sports-related content:
Follow me on- X at @BarbecueBro, and follow us at @HardwoodHeroics and @GridironHeroics. You can also reach out to Reign Amurao via email at reignamuraonba@gmail.com. To read more of our articles and keep up to date on the latest sports news, click here!
Reign also writes NBA and WNBA news updates on Sportskeeda. He started as a feature writer for AirAlamo, an NBA website that covers the San Antonio Spurs. Some of his work can also be seen on Valley of the Suns, a Phoenix Suns-centric website, where he served as a contributing writer.
