Sept. 11: Jalen Green Misses All 9 Three-Pointers as Suns Are Swept by Thunder; His Comeback Season Becomes a Key Turning Point

On April 27, 2026, in Game 4 of the first round of the playoffs between the Phoenix Suns and Oklahoma City Thunder at the Suns’ home arena, with 3:17 remaining, Jalen Green received a pass from Bridges on the right wing and forced up a three-pointer while two defenders closed in. The shot hit the front rim and bounced out.

It was his ninth missed three-pointer of the game and the Suns’ final attempt to cut the deficit to within 10 points. They eventually lost 97-112 and were swept by the Thunder in the first round. After the final buzzer, Green stood near midcourt, did not greet the opponents, lowered his head, adjusted the edge of his shorts, and became the first player to walk back to the locker room.

That play later became a moment repeatedly reviewed by the Suns’ front office during the offseason and pushed the 2021 No. 2 overall pick to the most important evaluation point of his career.

Many longtime fans still remember Jalen Green from his Houston days. In 2021, he was selected second overall by the Rockets, and the entire league expected the explosive young player to carry the future of Houston’s backcourt. During his four seasons with the Rockets, he developed from a rookie averaging 17.3 points per game into a core scorer averaging 21 points per game. In the 2024-25 season, he played all 82 regular-season games, earned Western Conference Player of the Week honors twice, and became the youngest player in Rockets history to reach 4,000 points.

At that time, his label was scoring explosiveness. He was an offensive weapon capable of multiple 40-point games before turning 21, and the Rockets developed him as the centerpiece of their backcourt rebuild. In the summer of 2025, after the Durant blockbuster trade, Green was sent to Phoenix as a major piece, and many believed he could find a more comfortable scoring environment next to Booker and help the Suns challenge the upper tier of the Western Conference.

Few expected his first season with the Suns to be so difficult. In the 2025-26 season, recurring hamstring issues limited him to only 32 regular-season games, with an appearance rate just above 30 percent. His averages dropped to 17.8 points, 3.6 rebounds and 2.8 assists, while his three-point percentage fell to just 31.3%, well below his average level in Houston.

The backcourt pairing of Green and Booker faced ball-sharing challenges from the start. Both are scoring guards who need significant possession time to maximize their impact, and neither can fully cover the other’s defensive weaknesses. The numbers showed that when Gillespie and Booker started together, the Suns’ net efficiency reached 8.7, while the figure was only 2.8 when Green and Booker shared the court.

Last season, the Suns finished seventh in the Western Conference with 45 wins, relying on a defensive system led by Dillon Brooks and consistent production from role players. Green spent most of the time on the injury list and never had enough time to find a fixed role in Jordan Ott’s up-tempo system.

The Suns’ offseason strategy was clear. The front office did not tear the team down, instead re-signing the key rotation players who performed well last season. Dillon, Gillespie and Mark Williams received multi-year contracts, while Miles Bridges was acquired to strengthen wing depth. The team repeatedly emphasized that continuity was the priority.

Against this background, placing the 24-year-old Green on the evaluation list for the 2026-27 season is not a declaration of giving up on him, but a practical decision a team trying to improve must make. He still has the talent of a No. 2 overall pick and unrealized athletic ability, but his health history, tactical fit and ball-distribution issues require a full regular-season sample to evaluate rather than a rushed conclusion based on half a season affected by injury.

The widely discussed five-for-two trade proposal that would send Green to the Bulls for Josh Giddey appears more like an inquiry from Chicago than an initiative by Phoenix. Giddey averaged 17 points, 8.3 rebounds and 9.1 assists last season and is considered one of the league’s top playmaking guards. He could address Phoenix’s biggest backcourt need, but his large contract would push the Suns above the second apron and eliminate much of their roster flexibility over the next two years.

For the Suns, who have just moved away from the reckless spending of the Big Three era, paying such a high price for a player whose fit remains uncertain is clearly not a decision the front office would make lightly. Their real task is to use the entire 2026-27 season to determine whether a healthy Green can coexist with Booker, regain the scoring explosiveness he showed in Houston, improve his defensive shortcomings, and become a useful key piece in the playoffs.

In offseason interviews, Jalen Green did not make any bold declarations. He only said his hamstring had fully recovered and that he spent the summer at Phoenix’s training facility working on off-ball movement and spot-up three-pointers. He knows every game of the new season will be closely scrutinized.

The Suns’ preseason game against the Pistons is scheduled for October 5, and their regular-season opener is on October 22 on the road against the Trail Blazers. From the first day of training camp, he will compete with Bridges and Brooks for backcourt playing time. Before the trade deadline closes in mid-February 2027, every performance will become evidence for the front office’s final evaluation. He does not need to prove he is still the high-flying No. 2 pick from years ago; he only needs to prove he can find an irreplaceable role in this established winning system.

Many longtime NBA fans understand that professional sports rarely have absolute conclusions like “must leave,” nor promises that someone “must stay.” The essence of the relationship between Green and the Suns is not about either side giving up on the other, but about both standing at a crossroads: Green needs a team that can provide stable playing time and a clear role to revive his career from the injury-related low point; the Suns need a backcourt player who fits their current system and fills the final gap next to Booker.

The injuries and adjustment process of the past year are not the end of this relationship, but the beginning of both sides truly understanding each other. When the 2026-27 season ends, whether Green finds a new role in Phoenix or the two sides part ways and move toward new destinations, this evaluation process will become part of their growth. Green will better understand how to survive in the league, and the Suns will better understand what they truly need on their championship path.

That is the most realistic part of professional sports. There are not many dramatic conflicts, only a group of people moving toward the same goal of winning and gradually finding the direction that best suits everyone.