NBA Summer League 2021 – How will Cade Cunningham and Jalen Green behave in their first clash?

Jalen Green has never shied away from being among the 2021 NBA Draft prospects.

“Me, I’m the best hope in this project, in my opinion,” Green told me during an ESPN film session. “I didn’t go to college and played against adult men. I just think that at 19 I’m the best player in the draft for sure.”

On Tuesday in Las Vegas, second choice Green will have his first chance to prove it, as the Houston Rockets face first choice Cade Cunningham and the Detroit Pistons.

It won’t be their first meeting, as Cunningham and Green have long been enemies of the 2020 class fighting for the top spot in the high school rankings. Green, who once held the distinction as the top prospect, eventually finished No.3 in the Recruiting Services Consensus Index rankings behind Cunningham (No.1) and Evan Mobley (No.2).

Cunningham and Green were teammates of the 2019 US Under-19 World Cup gold medal team, which also included Jalen Suggs, Tyrese Haliburton, Reggie Perry and Jeremiah Robinson-Earl. Cunningham started all seven games and averaged 11.7 points, 4.9 rebounds and 5.7 assists in 23.5 minutes, while Green played 21.5 minutes off the bench, averaging 10 , 1 points and 1.7 steals with a handful of game highlights.

Their last meeting was on the AAU Tour in the summer of 2019, when Green posted 17 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists in a win over the Texas Titans in Cunningham. Cunningham had 6 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists.

Since then, Green has filled his frame, honed his shot and grown into an elite goaltender who still qualifies as a teenager. Cunningham has just completed an impressive freshman season with Oklahoma State, marked by a victory over eventual National Champion Baylor Bears, a 40-point game against rival Oklahoma and Big 12 Player of the Year honors.

So what should fans expect from the No.1 vs No.2 clash in Vegas? Let’s break it down.

In which categories is Cunningham better than Green?

Cunningham leads Green in two clear areas: passing and two-way versatility.

Cunningham is a cerebral playmaker, using his height to see over defenses and separate teams. His negative assists ratio at Oklahoma State is not indicative of the kind of passer he is, and this area of ​​his game should come to life in Vegas, as he will likely flirt with the triple-double if he plays enough minutes. While in high school, as the main guard of the Montverde Academy, Cunningham was shooting one-handed darts at his teammates in transition while showing his ability to use his free hand effectively in the half court. . With NBA spacing, better shooting, and highly skilled players around him, expect Cunningham’s field vision to surprise those who haven’t watched him before Oklahoma State.

Cunningham is longer and more physical than Green – 6-foot-8 with a 7-2 wingspan and a solid 220-pound frame – allowing him to move from playmaker to front on both sides. Don’t be surprised to see him do everything from performing pick-and-rolls and getting isolation kickbacks to punishing little ones in the middle of the post with face-up shimmy moves or jump hooks. While not as quick as the nimble Green, his strength, longer arms, and overall shortness make him more valuable on defense. As Oklahoma State coach Mike Boynton told me during the varsity season, Cunningham adapts to any situation, which is a product of the versatility he offers on both ends of the court.

Where is better Green than Cunningham?

Green is the far superior athlete. He slips while filling in transitioning lanes and is a real head-to-edge dunker with a Zach LaVine-style bounce. Green’s play looks a lot better on a highlight reel than Cunningham’s, and I expect him to generate more of a wow factor than Cunningham does with his Vegas play.

Green isn’t just a dunker, however. He’s a more natural scorer than Cunningham, with terrific footwork and balance on his pull-up 3, showing the ability to part ways as well as any young perimeter player I’ve evaluated. That’s a big reason I made a LaVine-Bradley Beal hybrid comparison throughout the pre-draft process. So while Cunningham is the most complete player, Green is expected to average more points per game than he is in Vegas – and potentially beyond. While not Cunningham’s all-round passer or defender, Green can and will show promising prospects as a ball defender as he was heading in the right direction on that side with the G League Ignite. He’s also shown he can hit the roller man in the pick-and-roll better than most guards in his mold.

What excites me the most about Cunningham vs. Green?

I want to see how aggressive Green is at Cunningham and how the No.1 pick reacts. Having spent time with Green both before the G League bubble and throughout the pre-draft process, it’s clear he’s eager to prove he’s the top player in the 2021 draft class. Green hinted that he was tired of hearing that Cunningham was the clear No.1 pick and that Mobley deserved to be considered at the top as well.

After watching him train for hours in Los Angeles, he’s in great shape and appears to be in great shape as he heads into the Summer League. Green is the guy who always wears a chip on his shoulder, and I’m ready to see how that turns out if these two end up going head-to-head on Tuesday. “I’m coming for the heads,” Green told me during our first ESPN movie session in Walnut Creek, Calif. Cunningham appears to be the first target.