Jalen Green was heartbroken after being traded from the Houston Rockets to the Phoenix Suns in the blockbuster deal for Kevin Durant. Still, when he finally stepped onto the floor at the Mortgage Matchup Center, he immediately looked like himself again.
After missing the first eight games with a hamstring strain, Green made his Suns debut Thursday night against the Los Angeles Clippers. Despite being on a minutes restriction, he delivered an explosive and historic performance to power Phoenix to a 115–102 victory.
Jalen Green Enters Phoenix Suns History Books on Debut
While most players talk about needing time to “knock off the rust,” Green made that idea look like a myth. In his first appearance in six months, he exploded for 29 points in just 23 minutes to lead all scorers, marking the second-highest scoring total in a Suns debut behind Charles Barkley’s 37 in November 1992.
Jalen Green 29 PTS in 23 min in first game with Suns 😤🔥 pic.twitter.com/IwzdCPCxVu
— House of Highlights (@HoHighlights) November 7, 2025
Green also set a franchise record for most made threes in a debut, knocking down six of his 13 attempts. The 23-year-old was thrilled with how he looked in his first game back.
“I’m very excited to be back, especially with the whole situation of being injured,” he said postgame. “Now I’m super blessed to be back. Being in Phoenix, though, it’s a blessing too. We have great fans and a great culture. They love basketball out here. It’s amazing, I feel like I fit right in at home.”
Franchise star Devin Booker once again played a leading role, posting 24 points, seven assists and six rebounds. With Booker focusing on defense and Green providing an explosive scoring punch, the Suns may have found a perfect pairing. Head coach Jordan Ott praised how seamlessly Green fit into the system.
“Just make the right play,” Ott said on Green being comfortable within the Suns’ offense. “I think it doesn’t matter who has the ball; it can be anyone on our roster. You want everyone to be aggressive. This is the NBA; if you’re not aggressive, the defense feels it. So we want all five guys out there to be a threat.
“It’s up to us to create a system where they feel comfortable to be a threat and anytime they had the basketball I thought Jalen did a great job of not forcing things again, incredibly difficult, coming back for the first time with new teammates, the emotion of it all. I didn’t feel like there was one possession where he got out of character. So we want him to be ultra aggressive, just like everyone else.”
The Suns improved to 4–1 at home and 4–5 overall. They’ll face the Clippers again on Saturday, Nov. 8, in Los Angeles, marking their third meeting of the season.
