Where the Phoenix Suns succeed immediately in the post-Kevin Durant era will, in a large part, be tied to Jalen Green.
His inclusion in the Durant trade with the Houston Rockets was primarily about salary, and arguably the No. 10 pick used on Khaman Maluach was the most-prized asset in the Suns’ eyes.
But Maluach may need time to grow. Meanwhile, Green is 23 years old and coming off his first postseason run, where 37% shooting in a seven-game series loss might set the bar of his NBA future at a lower notch.
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That context sets up his move to Phoenix, where he is the clear No. 2 scorer behind Devin Booker with an open opportunity to contribute offensively. For the Suns, getting the most out of the Durant trade and chasing wins next season largely will depend on how well Green can develop alongside Booker. And Green’s exact role in Phoenix.
ESPN’s Kevin Pelton and Chris Herring listed Green as the 10th-most impactful new face on a new team for the 2025-26 NBA season.
The former No. 2 pick gets a new start — and a new position — in Phoenix after the Durant trade. The Suns are expecting Green to start at point guard alongside Devin Booker, according to John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports. Green showed only modest playmaking in four seasons with the Rockets, topping out at 3.7 APG. And Green hasn’t yet been an effective pick-and-roll ball handler. Screens for him have resulted in just .95 points per chance the past two seasons, 33rd among the 40 players who have run at least 2,500 pick-and-rolls according to GeniusIQ.
The uninspiring pick-and-roll numbers have raised red flags, for sure.
But if you’re to sell someone on that being less of an issue than it might seem, Green’s role will be less about playmaking for others than attacking and making the right basketball play — which more often than not will be about finishing the play himself.
Green had plenty of run attacking as an initiator in Houston.
Jalen Green drives past three OKC defenders for the bucket. Beautiful move. pic.twitter.com/rNV9im7oMU
— ClutchFans (@clutchfans) March 4, 2025
In Sunday's game Jalen Green attacked Chet Holmgren at the basket 4 times. He scored on 3 of the drives and got blocked once.
On the makes he used his quickness to keep Chet off balance and went right at him instead of around him.
Hopefully we see more of this tonight. pic.twitter.com/zWXvZvRFoQ— Andrew Soukup (@asoukuptx) February 27, 2024
Horns Action by Houston, Damian Lillard shows and recovers. Houston now flows into a middle PNR with Jalen Green & Alperen Sengun. Green drives, gathers, and finishes with 1 hand at the rim. pic.twitter.com/trhTBpMmj6
— NBA Clips Archive (@bballclips51) February 26, 2025
While he played a different position than Green, the Suns’ last explosive, rim-threatening perimeter player who paired with Booker was Kelly Oubre.
He, too, brought an underwhelming assist-to-turnover ratio to the table as a player who would feast off receiving drive-and-kicks.
Somewhat notably, that 2019-20 season in which Oubre splayed next to Booker, Booker found himself wide open (6+ feet by NBA.com’s tracking data) at 15.1% rate, a career high other than Booker’s rookie year.
That’s obviously not due to Oubre existing alone.
That was in the context of Booker playing heavily alongside a point guard in Ricky Rubio, who didn’t garner much defensive attention as a shooter nor as an attacking driver.
Green’s role on this team, without other proven attacking wings (Ryan Dunn making leaps here would help) and without a proven traditional starting point guard, means that he and Booker are each being asked to carry some of that responsibility. Green also needs to do the Oubre stuff of catching and shooting or catching and driving while floating on the weak side and letting Booker initiate.
If he adds a little as a weakside attacker, takes some play initiation duties off Booker in other spots, perhaps he does find a way to help Booker be at his best.
It will be Green’s success in becoming efficient and aggressive as a scorer that will be the main thing to watch alongside his star backcourt mate.
Of course Kevin Durant led the ESPN list of most impactful newcomers
Houston’s acquisition of Durant plugs him directly in Green’s spot, a reason that, aside from losing a draft pick and Dillon Brooks, the Rockets went ahead with the move to mix the veteran with their younger roster. Writes Herring:
In joining the club that finished dead last in the league in effective field goal rate in the clutch (43.8%) during the regular season, Durant will be expected to serve as a closer and No. 1 option on offense when the going gets tough.
Other familiar Suns faces on Herring’s and Pelton’s list include former Phoenix first-round picks Cam Johnson (No. 3 on the list, Nuggets), Deandre Ayton (No. 5, Lakers) and Ty Jerome (No. 11, Grizzlies), plus former guard Bradley Beal (No. 12, Clippers).
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