Jalen Green spent the offseason in Phoenix working closely with two-time NBA MVP Steve Nash, sharpening his playmaking skills as he prepares for his second season with the Suns. Green, 24, is set to take on more responsibility with the ball, aiming to make smarter decisions rather than changing his style.
“I’m the same me, just getting guys involved a little more,” Green said. “Making the right reads. If I’m making the right read, it’s going to help my offensive game, too.” He acknowledged his playmaking has room to grow, adding, “Sometimes, bad results, but I’m trying to find the right read in general. Step in the right direction.”
Green played only 32 games last season due to a recurring left hamstring injury, averaging 2.8 assists per game, part of an overall career average of 3.3 assists across five NBA seasons. Coach Jordan Ott said the team expects Green to have the ball more this year. “We saw it as the season progressed, he’s got more comfortable in our system, his system, but just make the right read. It’s not shoot, pass, do, just make the right read.”
Green chose to stay in Phoenix over the summer to focus on getting back to full health and developing his game, including spending time in the Suns’ weight room. Ott said, “It’s completely voluntary and he chose to live here and stay here and work out in this facility… We proved to him the building was a helpful place for him, but he has to make the commitment. He did. And we felt it (Tuesday).”
Working with Nash, who served as a senior adviser to the Suns last season, gave Green access to one of the league’s greatest point guards. Nash led the NBA in assists five times and ranks sixth all-time with 10,335 career assists. Green described the experience as eye-opening. “The pacing, just being able to read the game a little bit better,” he said. “Hearing from somebody of that caliber, being able to sit down and actually watch a workout and critique you as you go, that sticks with you.”
The Suns are not asking Green to emulate Nash’s style. Instead, they want him to maintain aggression while making the right plays. Ott explained, “Make the right play, continuously put yourself in a threat position… when the defender comes, make the right play, when the defender doesn’t come, go ahead and be aggressive.”
This shift in Green’s role is expected to relieve some of the playmaking load from Devin Booker. Booker led the Suns last season with 26.1 points and six assists per game but has seen a steady decline in shot attempts since 2021-22. His field goal attempts dropped from a career-high 20.9 per game in 2021-22 to 18.7 last season, even as his scoring hovered around 26 points.
Booker said the Suns’ offense is becoming more position-less. “I even talked about what the addition of Miles (Bridges), another person that can make plays. I think everybody on the court needs to be able to have those abilities. Frees up everybody. Makes it a free-flow offense.” He added that this kind of development comes with experience and trust, “We’ve been seeing it in camp already with them.”
Green’s offseason work with Nash and his commitment to making better reads on the court signal a new phase in his Suns career. The team will watch closely as he tries to translate that progress into game action this season.
According to Yahoo Sports.