Struggling with health and efficiency, the former second overall pick must stabilize his explosive scoring to fend off surging role players and anchor Phoenix’s championship aspirations.
The Phoenix Suns organization is investing much into efforts to reach the playoffs for a second consecutive season.
Much of those hopes rest in the belief that sixth-year guard Jalen Green will be readily available and more consistent in his second season with the organization.
This hope extends beyond internally, as Zach Kram of ESPN labels Green as Phoenix's X-Factor for the 2026-27 campaign.
One half of the equation is the fact that the 2021 second overall pick is coming off of a career-low 32 games played and put together the weakest scoring efficiency campaign of his career as well.
Perhaps even bolder is Kram's assertion that returnees Collin Gillespie and two-way spark plug Jordan Goodwin - as well as newcomer Luke Kennard - are stronger fits for Phoenix's rotation compared to Green.
"Gillespie and Goodwin re-signed with the Suns in free agency this summer, and Kennard joined the team. All three guards could be more natural fits with the rest of Phoenix's starters than Green."
Pressure is mounting on Green to be the player that the franchise believes he can be. The 6'4" guard put together several signature moments during his rather abbreviated 2025-26 season that pointed to this being this case. This includes his 29-point debut against the Los Angeles Clippers, 34 point outburst against the Toronto Raptors, and 71 point coming out party over Phoenix's two-game play-in run.
Green encountered a fair share of rough patches as well, even through the standout highs. This includes a 5-20 shooting performance against the Chicago Bulls in March, and a 3-17 night against the Minnesota Timberwolves roughly two weeks later.
Stringing stretches of star-level play together has been the most substantial struggle of Green's career to this point. While he is able to put All-Star level play forward for brief stretches, inconsistency typically wins out in the end.
This is the best opportunity for Green to buck this trend and become the player that elevates the Suns into the next tier of contention in the league. He is in the second year of playing in the offensive system of Jordan Ott. This system is more player-friendly to what the G-League Ignite alum does well compared to anything he saw as a member of the Houston Rockets.
Backcourt mate Devin Booker is a malleable player that should be able to set Green up to put together robust scoring nights more consistently as well.
Ultimately, the onus is on Green to take advantage of x-factor status.
