PHOENIX — Phoenix Suns guard Jalen Green reaggravated his hamstring strain and will now miss at least the regular season opener on Oct. 22, head coach Jordan Ott announced before Tuesday’s preseason finale against the Los Angeles Lakers.
Green originally did not play in the opener on Oct. 3 due to the injury and hasn’t been healthy all month. Ott said the team will have an update within 10 days, and if those full 10 days are met, it would come on the day of the second regular season game in L.A. versus the Clippers.
Green missing the opener points toward Grayson Allen starting in his place like he did in the preseason, enabling a full “Point Book” look that emphasizes others bringing the ball up to aid in that effort of Devin Booker handling the overwhelming majority of the playmaking.
Phoenix’s offense will be compromised in any game Green or Booker misses. Both put pressure on defenses as ball-handlers that no one else on the roster can come close to providing, and if one is out, the other is left alone to shoulder that entire burden.
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Booker is the one capable of handling that load but he would be much better off having some assistance as much as possible. In addition, the two of them getting zero preseason reps to work out their synergy is problematic given how that must be on point without a traditional point guard.
This is new to Green. He has not missed a game since late February 2023, going 82-for-82 the last two seasons and still registering 76 appearances in that 2022-23 campaign.
“Obviously, he’s frustrated but this is all part of it,” Ott said. “Thankfully, we caught it early and it’s not that serious but he wants to be out there, especially new teammates, new system. There’s just other ways we’re going to have to speed him up and that’s the reality of it.”
While tissue injuries are delicate as Ott pointed out, it’s concerning for Green’s beginnings in Phoenix to come with he and the training staff going through this hiccup. And it also is considering what the unique approach is with Mark Williams and that requiring some trust there too.
Williams was also out for the finale on Tuesday, keeping him out all preseason as the long-term plan of remodeling his approach to the season continues, in the hopes of eliminating his extreme inability to stay healthy.
Without a current injury, Williams has not played 5-on-5 in a full player setting but has got some full-court run in against coaches and staff members at a tepid speed.
“It’s the strength piece that we tried to build up. From day one, he’s been unbelievable,” Ott said. “So now he’s right there, ready to go, he’s playing against coaches, he’s played against players in a smaller version — again these next [seven] days will be a great test for him (with) more player versus player.”
Ott referred to Williams being “on pace,” so perhaps he can play in the opener. For now, it is the same “goal” of playing then and “trending in the right direction.” The 5-on-5 with staff after shootaround on Tuesday did not resemble a guy that would be ready in a week, for what it’s worth.
Oso Ighodaro was the starter at the 5 in Williams’ spot previously in the preseason, a mild surprise given we are trained to think the more experienced Nick Richards would get the minutes (like he did last season), but Ighodaro is a much better schematic fit.
Phoenix’s center rotation, while deep with options, sorely needs Williams. His size as a rebounder and presence around the rim, plus the gravity he takes in as a roller, is a dynamic none of the other three bigs come close to touching.
Everyone in the top half of the roster was also out on Tuesday. That’s Booker, Allen, Ighodaro, Richards, Dillon Brooks, Ryan Dunn, Royce O’Neale and Collin Gillespie, which is extremely understandable given the absurd position the league put Phoenix in with its schedule.
Phoenix just got back from China on Sunday evening, fresh off a 14-hour travel day and nearly a week in China after a 16-hour flight on the way there Oct. 6. The starters all played minute totals varying in the 20s, leaving most of the fourth quarter (and overtime in the opening contest) to those on the back-half of the roster.
Ott said coming into the trip that this game would be the hardest to navigate, given the turnaround of less than 48 hours off extreme travel that almost certainly had to be deemed necessary only for logistical reasons. That really didn’t give the Suns much of a choice when it comes to who would play on Tuesday.
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