Facing a make-or-break year and a polarizing contract, the explosive guard must harness Jordan Ott’s innovative offense to silence critics and cement his future alongside Devin Booker.
The 2026-27 NBA season could prove to be a rocky road for the Phoenix Suns.
While Phoenix did finish 45-37 and made the postseason last season, some expect the organization to take a step back - even under the assumption that certain young players will make leaps.
A lot of the talk surrounding the bridge between progression and regression rests in 2021 lottery pick Jalen Green.
Green is incredibly notable for being one of the most polarizing players across the entire NBA, as his reputation is largely built around exceptional play in bursts that is sandwiched by inconsistency.
The narrative that has carried over for the entirety of Green's career now follows him into contract conversations, as CBS Sports' Sam Quinn ranked the shooting guard as owning the 13th-worst contract in the league.
Quinn points to the possibility that Phoenix may decide that fellow guard Collin Gillespie is a more effective partner to franchise player Devin Booker, which would inherently render Green's deal ($72 million over two years) as a bad contract. He also points to the minimal financial upside that the deal provides - if Green puts together another typical season, the contract will be considered "bad" still, while a true breakout year would force the Suns to gift a pay raise.
All in all, Green is being underrated by the NBA world at-large. The G-League Ignite alum is far from a perfect player. He is inconsistent from beyond the three-point stripe. His defensive motor is come and go. He hasn't taken the playmaking leaps that were expected of him.
Despite all of this, paying a player with the scoring ceiling that Green has under $40 million annually isn't the end of the world, and Green has all the ammo in the world to buck the narratives that surround his name.
Green is set to enter year two in head coach Jordan Ott's offense. Ott's offense is both more innovative and more space-based compared to what Green was dealt as a member of the Houston Rockets. The accompanying tidbit is that Green seems to be going strong in the health department, which should allow the explosive guard to show off a fantastic ability to pressure the rim more frequently.
Lastly, Green is surrounded by the most versatile group of offensive players that he has been teamed up with during his career. Booker should succeed in getting the most out of him, while forward Dillon Brooks provides even more continuity compared to others on the team. This is truly the year where Green has an opportunity to silence the doubters.
