Pistons' Cade Cunningham gets 100% real on NBA draft mate Jalen Green
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The recent ascension of the Detroit Pistons and Houston Rockets comes courtesy of the development of their 2021 first-round draft picks, Cade Cunningham and Jalen Green.
Both teams have emerged as two of the most surprising teams in the NBA this season. Cunningham shared his assessment of Green’s performance lately after Detroit’s 107-96 victory over Houston.
“He’s been having a great year. It’s something I expected. I knew he was a big-time player in high school coming up. I knew he was going to find his footing in the NBA, same as me,” Cunningham stated. “I think we’re just on our paths, and I’m not surprised at all.”
Cunningham finished with the upper hand in Monday’s matchup against Green. Detroit’s star point guard finished with 32 points, nine rebounds, and seven assists. Houston’s breakout guard finished with 19 points, four assists, and four rebounds.
Cade Cunningham vs. Jalen Green: A budding rivalry?
The two young stars have been constantly compared since the build-up and results of the 2021 NBA Draft. Cunningham was the complete prospect coming out of Oklahoma State with the upside of a franchise player. Green was a flashy scorer with hyper-athleticism coming out of NBA G-League Ignite. Their draft selections to Detroit and Houston have been the launching point of the rebuilds for their teams.
Green was very outspoken on draft night about wanting to prove the Pistons wrong for passing on him. The 6-foot-6 scoring guard campaigned to be the No. 1 draft pick by even saying he wanted to live in Detroit. Instead, the Pistons decided to move forward with Cunningham as their selection to build around.
Both players have been impressive throughout their four-year careers. Cunningham is recording career-high averages and could be in line for his first NBA All-Star selection this year. Green’s game continues to expand in Houston, and he was recently named Western Conference Player of the Week.
Despite being in the NBA for four seasons, the two young guards have played to a draw with a 2-2 record. Injuries have limited the number of times they were able to participate in each contest. They both have left their mark in each matchup with either stat-stuffing performances or a viral highlight. The highlights normally have followed up with heavy trash talk, prompting the possibility of a budding rivalry between the two.
Green has been a part of a quicker timeline of team success, which has aided his professional development. The Rockets have complemented Green well with their roster construction through his career. Their front office intelligence has lifted the franchise to the second seed in the Western Conference.
Houston has put together successful drafting after Green by adding prospects like Alperen Sengun, Jabari Smith, Amen Thompson, Tari Eason, Cam Whitmore, and beyond. Their free agency moves have also been beneficial to their growth with the presence of veterans like Dillon Brooks and Fred VanVleet.
Cunningham’s road to winning has been a bit more rocky due to the passive moves from Detroit’s front office in his tenure. Last season’s 14-68 record required a reset for the Pistons with new leadership by adding current President of Basketball Operations Trajan Landon and head coach J.B. Bickerstaff.
After a three-year win-loss record of 54-192, Detroit has turned things around this season with a 22-21 record and the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference. Cunningham is at the center of that turnaround by averaging 24.5 points, 9.3 assists, and 6.5 rebounds per game. Acquiring veteran talents in Malik Beasley, Tobias Harris, and Tim Hardaway Jr. have made a major difference for the young talent in Cunningham, Jaden Ivey, Jalen Duren, Isaiah Stewart, and Ausar Thompson and the Pistons are succeedign as a result.
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