PHOENIX – Jalen Green played his most minutes over a two-game span (37) since joining Phoenix, before missing the Suns’ final game before the All-Star break due to injury management.
He averaged 10 points and 3.5 assists over the two contests, which is less than expected when at full strength, but logging minutes in consecutive games was progress as he struggled to get through another game whenever he returned to the floor in a turbulent recovery process.
Suns general manager Brian Gregory pointed to the timing of the All-Star break, as well as that time on the court beforehand, as the reason Green “has been in good shape over the last 27 games.”
“The league has now shown that progress with soft tissue injuries is never a straight line,” Gregory said Wednesday. “He’s 23 years old, and he’s got a bright future ahead of us, and you want to make sure things are in the right place not only for Game 1 but for Game 20 and then his entire career.
“His work ethic matches everything we need, and now I feel like he’s good to go.”
Green suffered a hamstring injury that re-aggravated during preseason training camp, and he again aggravated it in his second game in a Suns uniform. He remained out for 2.5 months and re-aggravated the problem in his second game after his return.
When he returned to the floor for the third time, he injured his hip when he fell hard. Both hip and hamstring were listed before his next return, the two games he played before the break. The final missed game was listed only as a hamstring injury.
The Suns have a net rating of +20 in 59 minutes sharing the court, thanks to how Green has performed with Devin Booker, who looks set to be an All-Star duo once he gets into rhythm. Of more than 130 two-person Phoenix pairs, only two have a better net rating in at least that many minutes.
It’s a small sample size, but Gregory said he’s excited to see how it looks.
“His explosiveness, his ability to get to the basket, his feel for the game, I think those two guys together are going to create one of the best, if not the best, backcourt in the NBA as we go forward, especially on the road as they get a chance to play more and get a better feel for each other,” Gregory said.
“He brings a lot of stuff that sometimes we miss. So, I think his fit is going to be really great.”
The Suns GM also praised Green for how he remained engaged even when he was not out, communicating with coaches in a way that players who replaced Green may not always be able to.
Phoenix’s first game after the All-Star break will be Thursday at the San Antonio Spurs, currently the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference. The Suns are ranked No. 7 with 1.5 games separating them and are seeded at No. 6 to potentially avoid the play-in tournament with a three-game cushion between them and No. 8.
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