Jalen Green's 4-Word Response to Potential Suns Return

The Phoenix Suns need Jalen Green back in the lineup. Can that happen soon?

Nov 6, 2025; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Phoenix Suns guard Jalen Green (4) against the Los Angeles Clippers at the Mortgage Matchup Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

PHOENIX — The Phoenix Suns move into the future hoping to get star guard Jalen Green back in the lineup.

Green, who has missed all but five quarters of Phoenix's incredible 24-15 start due to a nagging hamstring injury, is expected to be evaluated again soon in hopes of giving the Suns another shot creator next to Devin Booker in their backcourt.

The small sample size we saw of Green and Booker was exciting, as the former Houston Rockets guard posted 29 points in 23 minutes for the Suns before exiting the next night with the same right hamstring injury that first popped in training camp.

Green says he's close to a return.

Jalen Green Responds

Responding to Booker's recent Instagram story where he said to Green "Waitin on u 4", Green responded with, "We right there twin."

Jalen Green’s response: “We right there twin 😤” https://t.co/p9kzsshNms pic.twitter.com/c1hRDSHyhE

— Suns After Dark (@SunsAfterDark) January 10, 2026

Green has been improving his workload during practices, according to head coach Jordan Ott.

"You're going to feel some general soreness just by getting out there on the court and that's normal. That's not abnormal. That's not specific to the injury. He's got to keep going," Ott said of Green (h/t Duane Rankin).

"He's going to have to fight through some that overall just soreness of back on the court. Now he's getting bodies. The beating and banging with the bodies and know we're right there. Got to get across the finish line."

There was initial hope Green would have returned around Christmas, though after he aggravated the hamstring twice after training camp (preseason and November) the Suns are understandably being cautious.

With the emergence of guard Collin Gillespie, there's been some chatter about what Phoenix's starting lineup will look like with Green back in the fold.

While Ott says he's not directly focused on that right now, the Suns' guard will be a starter.

"We're so far away from that. He's been out for multiple months. There's obviously going to be some type of target range or number that we try to get him to. He'll definitely be in the starting lineup as soon as he gets back and ready to go," said Ott.

"We got to see exactly what that target number is. We want him healthy. This is a young guy coming to a new situation full of talent, full of youthful energy. We need his speed, his ability to attack off the dribble. We need him, but we need him healthy."

The Suns are operating fine without Green, emerging to the West's sixth seed in his absence.

However, Phoenix knows in order to truly make noise in the NBA, they'll need a healthy Green ready to roll.

That appears to be coming soon.