The 2025 Phoenix Suns are exceeding expectations. The Suns went through a massive makeover this past offseason, hiring a new general manager and a new head coach, and then traded away Kevin Durant. They had a lot of question marks, but they have exceeded expectations and have the potential to make the postseason. They can get even better with Jalen Green coming back from injury.
On the latest episode of “The Hoop Collective,” ESPN NBA reporter Tim MacMahon reported that when Jalen Green gets back from his injury, he will start in place of Collin Gillespie. The consensus is that Green should be the sixth man to avoid messing with the team flow. However, that could change from there.
MacMahon said, “Jalen Green’s played like a game and a quarter. He’s about to come back. By the way, it’s going to be interesting when he comes back. Based on the people I’ve talked to, he’s going to come back. I don’t know if it’ll be right at the start, but the plan is once he’s ramped up, he’s going to be starting, and they’re going to bring Gillespie off the bench. To this point, they’ve ignored my advice to plug Jalen Green into that six-man role and keep him there.”
Jalen Green is dealing with a hamstring injury. He has only played in two games this season due to a nagging injury. He has remained healthy during his time with Houston, playing in every game over the last two seasons.
Green was the best player the Suns received in the Kevin Durant trade and was expected to be an instant contributor next to Devin Booker. Green scored 29 points in his Suns debut on Nov. 6 against the Clippers, hitting six 3s to set a franchise record for most made 3s in a Suns debut.
“Is he 100% strong? He's there,” head coach Jordan Ott said. “So now, this is the ramp-up time period onto the court, where he's at. That's currently where he's at. So he's fully healthy and strong. His sprint speed is good, and now we're going to give him a couple of weeks to play.”
