Jalen Green blames effort for Suns disappointing 1-5 start

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PHOENIX– Some might feel the Phoenix Suns have a bad matchup with the Portland Trail Blazers, but that’s not how Jalen Green feels. The athletic guard knows that despite the 132-119 loss, there was a simple problem.

Before the game, the Suns had retribution on their minds. Granted, they looked better than the season opener, but this isn’t about moral victories.

Green feels it’s about one thing.

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“It’s effort,” he explained postgame in the locker room. “I think everyone on the team could guard their yard. But like I said, it’s really rotations. We can’t just allow them to get downhill and get in the paint and swing and catch and shoot.”

There were moments where, as Green said, everyone was guarding their yard. He was actually the catalyst in a lot of ways to get his team going.

He switched well, blocked shots, and played with effort. Still, that cannot fall on one person. It has to be a collective group effort.

Jalen Green’s effort can be the Suns’ prime example

For someone who’s usually a primary scorer, he’s been the primary defender in many cases. They have guys like Ryan Dunn whose main focus is defense, but Green has stepped up in that way.

The athleticism alone is a major reason why. The wingspan, too, as evidenced by a shot he smacked off the backboard early in the game, is another instance.

With the worst defense in the NBA, Phoenix will have to look in the mirror and identify what’s wrong. As head coach Jordan Ott stated nearly half a dozen times in his postgame press conference, it’s about guarding the basketball.

Jalen Green blames effort for Suns

Green has shown the ability to guard the basketball well. The question is, with him and the rest of the team, can they sustain it for a full 48 minutes?

They’ll have the perfect chance to prove that on Thursday against the Orlando Magic, on the second game of a back-to-back set.

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