New Suns guard Jalen Green under most pressure for 2025-2026 season

Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

PHOENIX – The Phoenix Suns most prized asset in the trade return for Kevin Durant was 23-year-old Jalen Green. The former Houston Rockets 2nd overall pick busted onto the scene in 2021, averaging 17.3 points per game as a teenager. The sky seemed to be the limit. However, after loitering on a lottery team for the next couple season, he got his first opportunity in the playoffs last year as the second seed and had disastrous debut against the Golden State Warriors.

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Green averaged 13.3 points on 37.2% shooting and shot below 30% from beyond the arc in seven games against Golden State. The team’s leading scorer during the entirety of the 2024-2025 season failed in the biggest opportunity of his career. The Rockets shipped him off to bring in an established winning player in Durant, as the team gives up on Green.

The schism surrounding the value of what the 6’4 guard brings is greatly contested. The Suns will have a chance to polish Green’s image heading into next season.

Can Green revive hype with Suns?

The former G-League ignite player is already heading into his fifth year in the NBA, and won’t turn 24 years old until February. He has a team-friendly contract in today’s standards, signing a three-year, $105 million contract last offseason. The contract puts him as the 49th highest paid player, and his 21.0 points last season was 28th in the league.

Green’s inefficiency is the next aspect of his game he’ll need to improve on, with a below league average true shooting percentage of 54.4. Basketball reference tracked every player’s shot attempt from a variety of distances (0-3, 3-10, 10-16, 16-3-point line, and 3-point line) and Green shot below league average at every single mark.

As is typical for younger players, Green’s shooting ability is streaky. but he makes up for slow shooting nights with his athleticism. He is a prototypical 6’4 slasher, who has a 38-inch vertical. Houston had to endure some of Green’s colder stretches to see glimpses of his true brilliance going downhill.

The Suns should put Green’s locker right next to Devin Booker. The 28-year-old in his first four seasons shot nearly identical to Green, 43.7% from the field and 35.4% from the perimeter. However, once Booker started to develop his offensive game his efficiency skyrocketed. The four-time All-Star had true shooting percentage of 55.3 in his first four seasons, and it has risen to 59.7 the last six seasons.

Another reason for the increase in true shoot percentage for Booker was the improvement of the roster surrounding him. Defenses couldn’t just hone in on Booker without being Burned. Green was under similar turmoil in Houston. The Rockets were below average in every offensive shooting category, as Green was one of only two players to average over 15.0+ points (Alperen Sengun 19.1 points)

Being under the tutelage of one of the best shooting guards in Booker should ease some of the pressure offensively for Green, allowing him to play off ball and have a better understanding on how to read defenses.

The Suns ceiling next year is similar to Green’s, not very high. However, the pair could use each other to elevate their reputation and shock the world. Green in a new scenery is what is best for the next step in his career, as Booker could propel the young guard to his heights.

This Suns guard might quietly fix Phoenix’s defense

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Reporter Tanner Tortorella covers general assignment for Burn City Sports. You can follow him on his X account, @TannerTSports