Jalen Green is going to be sidelined for a while.
Per ESPN’s Shams Charania, the Phoenix Suns guard will be re-evaluated in 4-6 weeks with a right hamstring strain that sidelined him for Monday’s win over the New Orleans Pelicans.
Green is the centerpiece of the return of the offseason trade that sent Kevin Durant to the Houston Rockets. He was expected to join All-Star Devin Booker to form a promising backcourt for the rebuilding Suns. For now, that new backcourt will have to wait.
Green’s played in just two of the Suns’ 11 games this season. He initially sustained his hamstring injury in the preseason and missed the first eight games of the regular season. He made his Suns debut with 29 points, 3 rebounds and 3 assists in a win over the Los Angeles Clippers on Thursday.
But he aggravated his hamstring injury in a rematch against the Clippers on Saturday and left the game after playing just six minutes.
The No. 2 pick in the 2021 NBA Draft, Green was projected as the centerpiece of Houston’s rebuild in the aftermath of the James Harden-era. A dynamic scoring guard, he flashed that promise while averaging 20.1 points, 4.3 rebounds and 3.3 assists in his four seasons in Houston.
But his efficiency (42.2% from field/34.2% from 3) limited his impact, and he took a step back in his only postseason appearance last season as he averaged 13.3 points while shooting 37.2% from the field and 29.5% from 3 is seven playoff games.
When Durant became available, the Rockets opted to part with Green in an effort to focus on building a championship contender for this season.