Suns Not Worried About Struggling Jalen Green

PHOENIX — The return of Phoenix Suns guard Jalen Green hasn't lived up to expectations.

Green, who has battled a hamstring injury all year, has quickly been thrust into the primary scoring option for the Suns while Devin Booker and Dillon Brooks deal with their respective injuries alongside other key players in the lineup.

Green previously said he'll never turn down being a primary scoring option like he was in Houston last season, though the results simply haven't been there for Phoenix.

Through the last few games, Green's been wildly inefficient as a scorer, making 28-83 (33%) shots since the All-Star break.

Suns coach Jordan Ott, particularly asked about Green's lack of success driving downhill, says a mix of reasons is why Phoenix is seeing their scoring guard struggle:

"I don't think we're getting great screens. I don't think he has much of an advantage at times. I do think some of the physicality on drives is changing as the season progresses. Then I think a little bit is he's just returning back to form," Ott said of Green.

"So we knew some of this would happen. I'm sure he wants to speed it up as fast as possible. But all this is pretty normal."

The Suns have lost their last six-of-eight games while Green continues to find his legs, and form, as the end of the regular season nears. Green hasn't found sustained success near the rim or from deep, as he's shooting just 8-35 (22.8%) from three-point land since the All-Star break.

Ott believes it's not so much a Green issue as Phoenix struggles offensively, but more so a puzzle that's missing some key pieces.

"Book has said it from day one, there's no one who knows it better than him. Like when you have five guys that are threats on the court, that's where it feels right and you can just play basketball. It's just like an energy, it's a feel, it's a rhythm to the game. That's the rhythm when everyone's out there being a threat," Ott said after last night's loss to the Boston Celtics.

"And right now, we cannot find it. But we're going to keep trying. And we just talked about it like it's going to come from us, and this is going to be a huge part of our season. It's us breaking through this little rough patch. We got to do it together, and we got to individually take a look in the mirror and see how we all can be better."

While Booker's gravity on the floor is obviously missing, Green's form and its carried concerns haven't quite been put to rest.