PHOENIX — Before missing the Suns’ final game before the All-Star break due to injury management, Jalen Green played his most minutes in a two-game span (37) since joining Phoenix.
He averaged 10 points and 3.5 assists in the two contests, which is below what is expected when at full strength, but logging the minutes in consecutive games was progress after he struggled to get through a second game any time he returned to the floor in what had become a turbulent recovery process.
Suns general manager Brian Gregory pointed to the timing of the All-Star break, along with getting that time out on the court beforehand, as reasons Green is “in a good place heading into the last 27 games.”
“The league has shown now that with soft tissue injuries, the progress is never in a straight line,” Gregory said Wednesday. “He’s 23 years old, and he’s got a bright, bright future in front of us, and you want to make sure that things are in the right place for not only Game 1 but also Game 20 and then for his entire career.
“His work ethic has matched anything that we needed, and now I think he’s good to go.”
Green dealt with a hamstring injury that he reaggravated during preseason training camp, and he again reaggravated it in his second game in a Suns uniform. He remained out for 2.5 months before again reaggravating the issue in his second game after that return.
When he made his third return to the floor, he suffered a hip contusion on a hard fall. Both the hip and hamstring were listed ahead of his next return, the two games he played before the break. Only the hamstring was listed in the final missed game.
As for how Green has looked alongside Devin Booker for what’s intended to be an All-Star pairing once in rhythm, the Suns have a net rating of +20 in the 59 minutes they’ve shared the court. Among more than 130 two-man Phoenix pairings, only two have a better net rating in at least that many minutes.
It’s a small sample size, but Gregory said he feels pretty good about how it’s looked.
“His explosiveness, his ability to get to the basket, his feel for the game, I think those two guys together are going to form one of the best backcourts, if not the best in the NBA, as we move forward, especially down the road as they get to play more and get a better feel for each other,” Gregory said.
“He brings a lot of stuff that, at times, we’re lacking. So, I think his fit is going to be really, really good.”
The Suns GM also praised Green for how he stayed engaged when he wasn’t out there, talking through things with coaches in ways that players in Green’s shoes might not always do.
Phoenix’s first game post-All-Star break comes on Thursday at the San Antonio Spurs, currently the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference. The Suns are No. 7 with 1.5 games separating them and No. 6 to potentially avoid the Play-In Tournament with a three-game cushion between them and No. 8.
