Even though Summer League isn’t exactly the moment to watch the best basketball, it gives us the chance to witness the top picks in the NBA Draft take the court for their first professional experience.
So, every time the number 1 and number 2 pick of the Draft face-off, that’s must-watch television, even if it’s during Summer League. And that game between Houston Rockets and Detroit Pistons wasn’t the exception to that rule.
The basketball world was eager to watch Cade Cunningham and Jalen Green going at each other and they didn’t disappoint, putting on a show and leading their team.
Green got the best of Cunnigham this time, scoring 25 points with 5 rebounds, 3 assists, and 1 steal on 6/11 shooting and 10/11 from the free-throw line. Also, the Rockets beat the Pistons 111-91 despite Cade’s 20 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, and 3 steals.
But perhaps the best moment of the night came afterward, as Green tipped his hat off to Cunningham and praised him for the way he played in their first-ever meeting:
“It was fun. He’s [Cade] a good player, he battled back. I have respect for him so that’s the reason we come on the court and we’re going to battle that every time. It was a good game overall,” Green said after the game.
Green has been one of the most impressive players of Summer League thus far. He was the highest-recruited player before deciding to skip college and joining the G-League’s Ignite team.
Cunningham has had some efficiency issues thus far and you can always expect some growing pains for rookies, but both of them have already shown glimpses of greatness and exciting play.
Hopefully, we’ll get to watch them go against each other for the next decade and a half.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j16wt-Ovi2Y
