Jalen Green is entering a new chapter in his NBA career with the Phoenix Suns, but there are still a lot of questions Green must answer as he joins his second team.
The second overall pick in the 2021 draft, Green has dazzled at times with his scoring and athletic ability. But in a league that prioritizes efficiency, Green, a below-average to average 3-point shooter and turnover-prone guard, has a tough place fitting in. And that could be a lesson for NBA scouts and even well-respected media members like Zach Lowe.
“Jalen Green might end up being a cautionary tale for me in five years, where I have to remind myself, even though I am cognitively already aware of it, that you can't get too seduced by the athleticism and assume the decision-making will catch up. Because the tools, look, there's a reason he's a number-two pick in the draft. And you watch him play, this is a top 1% NBA athlete. And when you put him against other NBA athletes, even if he's a little better, he's not huge. And because they're all great athletes, the shaky decision-making sort of undoes a lot of what's there,” Lowe said on ‘The Zach Lowe Show'.
“I'm still intrigued enough that I don't mind his contract. I don't mind the Suns taking a shot at him. Don't love the fit with Booker. Don't love the fact that once I get by Booker, I don't really trust anyone to handle the ball very much…”
Green signed a three-year, $105.3 million deal with the Houston Rockets exactly one year ago today. After signing the contract, Green had arguably the best season of his career, in which he averaged 21 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, and a steal per game while shooting 42% from the field and a career-high 35% on 3-pointers and 81% at the free-throw line. However, when the Rockets had the chance to add Kevin Durant, they did not hesitate to trade Green to Phoenix to acquire the former league MVP.
With the Suns, Green is expected to start in the backcourt next to Booker, who averaged a career-high 7.1 assists last season. However, the pairing's debut will have to wait, as Green will miss the season opener and possibly more with a hamstring injury. Suns head coach Jordan Ott said Green has had “no live play” after Monday's practice and that with “those soft tissues, you don’t know exactly where it’s at.”
Phoenix opens the season at home tomorrow vs. the Sacramento Kings.
