The Phoenix Suns have been written off for the 2025-26 NBA season, but Jalen Green has declared they will shock a lot of people. We asked Green about those comments before practice for the Suns’ first preseason game against the Brooklyn Nets in the Venetian Arena in Macau, and he thinks this team can be a lot better than last season’s.
“I think we can be a lot better than last season,” Green said. “You don’t have bad thoughts or anything like that of what they were I think. Us in bringing the camaraderie, the unitedness of the team, and just how we play and stuff like that. The energy, the youthness, the excitement, I think we’ll bring that back to Phoenix. It’s gonna be fun.”
Jalen Green believes the @Suns will shock people in the 2025-26 season.
“I think we can be a lot better than last season.” pic.twitter.com/AGTJawySlY
— Fadeaway World (@FadeawayWorld) October 9, 2025
The vibes certainly do seem better than last season. This group looks to be a lot more connected, but there has been a significant talent drain.
The Suns entered the 2024-25 campaign with a lot of expectations. They seemed to have surrounded their Big 3 of Kevin Durant, Devin Booker, and Bradley Beal with some quality pieces, but the team never quite came together.
The Suns started the campaign 8-1 but then collapsed, finishing 11th in the West with a 36-46 record. Changes were inevitable after a season such as that, and a lot has changed.
Head coach Mike Budenholzer has been replaced by Jordan Ott, while two members of the Big 3 are gone. Beal was waived and stretched and has joined the Los Angeles Clippers, while Durant was traded to the Houston Rockets.
That Durant trade was how Green ended up with the Suns. The Rockets were willing to part ways with the 23-year-old after he had a disappointing playoff series against the Golden State Warriors.
Green averaged 13.3 points on 37.2% shooting from the field against the Warriors, and it seemed likely that he might be on his way out this summer. The Rockets also sent Dillon Brooks as part of the trade, and on paper, these two are unlikely to be able to duplicate Durant’s impact on the court.
Durant averaged 26.6 points, 6.0 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 0.8 steals, and 1.2 blocks per game in 2024-25. He remains one of the best offensive players in the league today.
If the Suns could get the best out of Green, though, he could lessen the blow of Durant’s departure. The Rockets had selected him with the second pick in the 2021 NBA Draft because of his upside as a scorer.
Green averaged 21.0 points, 4.6 rebounds, 3.4 assists, 0.9 steals, and 0.3 blocks per game in 2024-25. He hasn’t turned into that elite scorer just yet, but could a change in scenery do the trick? We’ll find out soon.
What we do know is that Brooks should help improve this team defensively after they finished 27th in defensive rating last season (117.7). He has called himself the best perimeter defender in the world in the past, and while he might not be that good, he is better on that end of the floor than a lot of players they had.
We have only seen the new-look Suns in action once so far, when they beat the Los Angeles Lakers 103-81 in their first preseason game on Oct. 3. Green didn’t play in that game due to a hamstring strain, but we did see Brooks providing the team a boost defensively. There was a lot to like about what the Suns did against the Lakers, but it’s too early to say whether they will be able to turn things around.
