The Phoenix Suns have shared the latest update on Jalen Green and his recovery from a hamstring injury. Green has only played two games in his first season in The Valley, but it seems like he already has a tentative return date.
Speaking to reporters on January 4 before the Suns’ game against the Oklahoma City Thunder, coach Jordan Ott provided an update on Green’s return timeline. The former No. 2 pick’s right hamstring has been deemed “healthy,” but the franchise wants him to be ready before clearing him.
“Is he 100% strength? He’s there. So now, this is the ramp-up time period onto the court is where he’s at. That’s currently where he’s at. So he’s fully healthy, strong. His sprint speed is good, and now we’re going to give him a couple of weeks to play,” Ott said, via Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic.
Green has been dealing with right hamstring issues since training camp. He aggravated it during practice in Macau, ahead of the Suns’ preseason game against the Brooklyn Nets. He missed the first eight games of the campaign, returning on November 6 against the Los Angeles Clippers.
The Suns faced the Clippers again two days later, but Green reinjured his right hamstring. He has now missed the last 25 games for Phoenix.
Suns Remain Cautious with Green
In the same pregame press conference, coach Jordan Ott expressed the franchise’s desire to be cautious with Jalen Green. Soft tissue injuries have been prevalent in the NBA this season, so they want their prized asset from the Kevin Durant trade to be fully recovered.
“You’re going to go and with these soft tissue injuries, want to be as careful as we can. So we’re going to have multiple days where we’re going to try to stretch it in our practice gym. He’s a valuable piece to us. Has a whole long career ahead of him. Again, every step of the way, there’s been measures to try to be reached, and he’s done it. We absolutely want him out there healthy,” Ott said, via ClutchPoints’ Hayden Cilley.
Duane Rankin explained that Green is in the second week of his current evaluation period. Based on coach Ott’s latest two-week timeline for his talented guard, he could make his return as soon as January 17 against the New York Knicks.
NBA Punished Green for Cursing
Despite being out with an injury, Jalen Green still managed to get fined and punished by the NBA. Green went viral on December 29 after the Phoenix Suns beat the Washington Wizards at the Capital One Arena.
The 23-year-old guard interrupted Collin Gillespie‘s postgame interview and dropped an F-bomb on live television. The league didn’t appreciate the cursing, prompting NBA Executive Vice President, Head of Basketball Operations, James Jones, to fine Green $25,000, as per a press release on NBA.com.
It’s a huge sum of money for many, but Green’s salary for the season is $33.6 million. He’s in the first year of a three-year, $105.3 million extension he signed with the Houston Rockets in the summer of 2024. He was traded to Phoenix in the offseason as part of the franchise’s partial rebuild.
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