“Patience is a virtue.”
How many times have you heard that in your life? But in today’s world, people want things immediately. Patience be damned.
For Phoenix Suns fans waiting to see the debut of Jalen Green, who was the centerpiece of the trade that sent Kevin Durant to the Houston Rockets over the summer, their patience was being tested. Green was one of only five players in the NBA to play every game over the course of the last two seasons, but he hadn’t played a minute of preseason or regular season basketball wearing Suns colors due to a hamstring strain.
That changed on Thursday night, and let’s just say Green’s introduction was well worth the wait.
The 6-foot-4 guard started and immediately looked at ease in the Suns’ offense, scoring 29 points in just under 23 minutes during the Suns’ 115-102 win over the L.A. Clippers.
His first basket came a little more than two minutes into the game. He drove into the lane on the dribble, deftly scooping the ball over the outstretched arm of Clippers 7-footer Ivica Zubac for a pretty bucket. He was just getting started. He hit six 3s, two mid-range jumpers and another layup.
His last bucket came with 9:22 in the 4th quarter. The Suns had a fast-break opportunity. Green gave the ball up to Grayson Allen on a 2-on-1. Green kept advancing toward the rim, but Allen pulled up for a 3. Green appeared to gesture with his hands up as if to say “lob it to me for the dunk.” Allen missed, Ryan Dunn hustled to save the ball underneath the hoop with a slick pass to Green, who had migrated to the corner for an open 3.
It was money, and it stretched the Suns’ lead to 22 points and caused L.A. coach Ty Lue to call a timeout. Green ran towards the south basket gesturing to fans and grabbing his jersey to accentuate the Suns wordmark across the chest. The fans ate it up.
Green’s 29 points were the second-most ever for a Suns player in his debut with the team. The only player with more? Charles Barkley, who scored 37 against (you guessed it) the Clippers in the same building almost exactly 33 years earlier.
For one night, Green paid off the Suns fans’ patience, which has been worn thin by unfulfilled promises and underachievement. Patience is a necessity for longtime fans of the team in the current. Hold on to that feeling, because like we saw Thursday, it’s pretty damn satisfying when its rewarded.