Phoenix Suns guard Jalen Green. Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

Jalen Green's return makes Suns serious contenders

By Sean Keane | Last updated Jan 21, 2026 1:01 AM ET

The biggest prize the Phoenix Suns got from the Kevin Durant trade was 23-year-old guard Jalen Green. Now that he's back from a hamstring strain that cost him all but two games, the Suns are a legitimate threat in the Western Conference.

Green scored 12 points in the Suns' 116-110 win over the Philadelphia 76ers Tuesday night, logging a +10 in 20 minutes. With him in the lineup, it's easy to imagine the Suns becoming a top-10 offense to go along with their top-10 defense.

Jalen Green looked sharp in his return

Green shot 4-of-11 in his first game since Nov. 8, when he aggravated the hamstring injury he'd suffered in training camp. He had three assists and shot 2-of-4 from three-point range. Tuesday, Phoenix scored only six points in the first six minutes of the game, then scored 21 in the second half of the quarter after Green entered the game.

He was a little rusty when it came to driving to the hoop, getting both a layup and a dunk blocked in the second quarter. But his outside shot and his handle both looked solid in his limited minutes,

Jalen Green in his bag pic.twitter.com/7I2ztqE5lz
— PHNX Suns (@PHNX_Suns) January 21, 2026

Will the Suns keep Jalen Green in a reserve role?

Green may be on a minutes restriction as he works himself back from his injury. But he's also an excellent fit for a Suns bench unit that's heavily inclined toward defense. Oso Ighodaro, Ryan Dunn and Jordan Goodwin are all quality defensive players, but decidedly limited as shot creators.

Ighodaro is a great screen-setter, ranking seventh in the NBA in screen assists — that is, screens that lead directly to a basket. Green's already good at getting to the hoop, but playing with Ighodaro should make him even better at it. Dunn's also a strong defender, with him and Ighodaro both able to switch on defense and guard positions from point guard to center.

Green may feel like he's earned a starting job, but he might be better suited to an instant-offense sixth man role, at least for the remainder of the season. With the team's existing starters Dillon Brooks, Royce O'Neale and Collin Gillespie thriving alongside Devin Booker, Green could still average more than 30 minutes off the bench without messing with the Suns' chemistry.

Phoenix has already showed a playoff-level defense and excellent outside shooting this season. Getting their dynamic 2-guard back might make them a truly scary team.

Sean Keane

Sean Keane is a sportswriter and a comedian based in Oakland, California, with experience covering the NBA, MLB, NFL and Ice Cube’s three-on-three basketball league, The Big 3. He’s written for Comedy Central’s “Another Period,” ESPN the Magazine, and Audible. com

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