It's safe to say that the Portland Trail Blazers are sorry they passed on Kevin Durant in the 2007 NBA Draft, instead selecting Greg Oden with the No. 1 overall pick. You can probably assume the same for the Philadelphia 76ers in the 2017 NBA Draft, in which Markelle Fultz went off the board two spots higher than Jayson Tatum.
Will the Detroit Pistons feel the same way when we look back on the 2021 NBA Draft in a few years? It's way too early to say, and the expectation is that they probably won't — at least not too much. If you're No. 2 overall pick Jalen Green, however, you sure think they missed out on the best player in the draft class.
"I'm sorry for y'all," Green said prior to the Rockets' second summer league game (via ESPN). "'Cause imma keep working... Every time I step on that floor, Detroit especially, I'm coming."
On Tuesday, we got a little taste of what that duel could look like for years to come. It was Green versus No. 1 overall pick Cade Cunningham in a battle between two teams, the Rockets and Pistons, that desperately need a spark plug to boost them into a more prosperous era than what we've seen in recent seasons. And though it was just a summer league matchup, it certainly did not disappoint.
Green was the star of the show, picking up 25 points on 6-11 shooting (3-5 3Pt., 10-11 FT) and a fair share of highlight-reel displays.
He wasn't the only meaningful young contributor for the Rockets in the winning effort, however, with fellow rookies Alperen Sengun (21 points, eight rebounds, four blocks) and Josh Christopher (15 points, seven assists) both chipping in with nice games. All three first-year first-rounders have impressed in the Rockets' two summer league games, with Green leading the team in scoring both times.
Despite the loss, Cunningham left his imprint on the matchup as well on many occasions, and a handful of them were directly inflicted on Green.
Cunningham ended with 20 points, four rebounds, three steals, two assists and a block, though he also had a game-high seven fouls, possible only because you can't foul out in summer league. Another name that raised eyebrows wasn't one that you necessarily expect to contribute all that much at the NBA level, but is someone whose name you've heard over and over again thanks to his dominant career in college: Luka Garza. The Iowa product had 15 points in 16 minutes with an efficient 5-6 display from the field.
I don't care if you're in a middle school rec league, the Big Ten or the NBA — a move like that is pretty to watch and hard to stop no matter the level of competition.
If Tuesday's summer league action was any indication, the future of the NBA is in good hands with this year's exciting crop of rookie talent.
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