Green's number one goal the next couple of years is adding on bulk. That honestly will help alleviate some of his issues now like handling presses. With more bulk and strength he can stave off defenders with his upper body when they press and blitz him. And that's great news because naturally with a NBa training regiment and staff behind him along with naturally filling out due to his really young age and along with him being known to be a gym rat, it's a near certainty he will.
I’m surprised so many are impressed with Cade’s game. I thought it was pretty meh. Committed a ton of fouls, twice as many turnovers as assists, his TS% was pretty average, etc. Green was doubled all game and still substantially outperformed Cade IMO.
Ya. I mean I see a lot of good stuff with him but people are really ignoring the fact that Cade was given a lot of room to operate because the Rockets seemed to not care about stopping him as much as Detroit was with Green. I guess what Green said before the game made him a target so they started to blitz and press him the whole game and it probably backfire because it tired the Piston's defenders out to where the Rockets overall for the advantage in the second half.
Green looked the better of the 2, but I wouldn't say Cade played badly at all. You can see the poise when he plays. The main thing that stood out to me is that he's definitely not a "6'8 PG" and looked more like a 2 guard with the playmaking skills to be a secondary ball handler. He's not quick enough to keep up with high-level NBA PG's I don't think, but I very much doubt he doesn't become a perennial starter at the very least (with a lower ceiling than Mobley, Green and maybe even Suggs and others.)
Getting Jalen Green, Christopher, Porter more reps makes no sense? Moving Wall doesn't mean Eric Gordon is gone too. He would still be there taking reps and I didn't say I would definitely move Wall, I'm saying it would take assets. I'm the with sitting Wall at home as if he was a cancer in the locker room. Until this season expires and his contract is more consumption friendly for other teams. People here think USG% and reps are an endless supply. They are all birds in a nest and all chicks begging to be feed. Top 5 picks are not meant to come off the bench nowadays. They need to be inserted into the lineups.....they want to be starters in the first 3 to 4 weeks. Be rookie of the year. Clutchfans need to get that losing mentality out of their heads. This team will be better than you think. This team was in tank mode last season. Eric Gordon, Wall, Tate, Kenyon, House, Theis, Khyri Thomas, Augustin, Porter jr mixed in with Jalen Green, Garuba, Sengun, Christopher are too good to be bottom feeder dwellers again this year. But there are players I listed that won't be eating......to the point of being malnourished unless we move a vet or send someone home. Wall with a 30+ USG% has to give. edited: forgot to mention a guy named Christian Wood
Green, Scottie, Cade, Suggs, Johnson, Sengun and Mitchell all making statements. Going to be an all time draft class.
And that's someone who's only just emerging as a starter. Westbrook would make him look like a joke, as would most athletic/quick PG's. Ja, Fox, hell, JOHN WALL would abuse Cade based on his athleticism alone. I just don't see any way he can be a full time starter at the 1. His height no longer makes him a mismatch, his athleticism means he can't keep up with a lot of starters.
Rockets notebook: Jalen Green vs. Cade Cunningham, Sengun-Scola comparisons, more https://theathletic.com/2764170/202...ade-cunningham-sengun-scola-comparisons-more/ The Houston Rockets are 2-0 in Vegas, defeating both the Cleveland Cavaliers and Detroit Pistons in impressive fashion. Here’s a notebook of all things Summer League to date. • Chalk Tuesday night up — or at least the pregame atmosphere — as another win for the media hype machine. The Thomas & Mack Center was buzzing before Rockets-Pistons tipoff, with an infectious energy that hadn’t been seen around these parts since Zion Williamson squared off against R.J. Barrett in 2019. Because Cade Cunningham and Jalen Green went first and second overall, respectively, the two will be connected for as long as their careers last — even if no relationship exists between them. This tends to happen with players debated and discussed in circles — like Trae Young and Luka Doncic leading up to the 2018 draft. Green believes he should have been the top pick in this year’s draft and has not shied away from that sentiment. Cunningham has not appeared to care much about that discussion — probably because he was taken first — but the juxtaposition of those stances made the lead-up to Tuesday’s showdown that much spicier. I know that it’s not in Green’s nature to approach games with the “get out of the way” mentality, but I’d be lying if I didn’t expect it in this one. “I kind of wanted to duel a little bit,” Green said after the game. • It’s important not to get too caught up in Summer League box scores. The final score would indicate a Rockets blowout win — a 111-91 victory to be exact — but there’s more behind the numbers. Even looking at the individual performances of the main attractions — Cunningham with 20 points, four rebounds, two assists and three steals, and Green with 25 points, five rebounds, three assists and a steal — there are takeaways all around. • For one, Green experienced a rude awakening to NBA defense. Against the Cavs, Green had the freedom to roam all three levels of the floor and seemed to float effortlessly en route to a game-high 23 points. The Pistons were determined not to let that happen. Displaying an aggressive brand of defense from the opening tip, Green was roughed up all over the court. The Pistons finished with 31 fouls in 40 (!) minutes. Once he crossed half court and attempted to run any sort of pick-and-roll, Detroit sent the house at him. Blitzes, traps, doubles, you name it. Green struggled with them at the onset, often getting flustered and ultimately trying to dribble his way out of trouble or throw awkward passes. “I came out thinking it was going to be like last night’s game,” Green said. Vid • Offseason Devin Booker might have taken offense to this approach, but this is actually a huge blessing for Green. What better time to learn what’s to come in the NBA than during Summer League? I wasn’t covering the league when James Harden was a rookie, but I’d assume he wasn’t seeing defenses like that on a consistent basis. If you remember, this only really became an issue after a particular road game in Denver during the 2018-19 season. Green’s frustration was somewhat compounded — Cunningham was getting the best of the matchup early, and Green couldn’t find a rhythm himself. K.J. Martin left the bench at times to try to help Green get out of the funk he seemed to be in. • But Will Weaver made a great call, having Green on the floor in the minutes where Cunningham sat. For one, it allowed him a bit of breathing room to settle down. Green’s understanding of the game is well beyond his years, having shown this in the G League playing with and against players much older than him. His processing speed is what has led him to this point. The game slowed down for Green in the second half, as he was able to recognize when the traps and blitzes were coming and knowing what to do. Sending two to the ball is essentially a gamble because it’s a four-on-three advantage if you can break the initial wall. Green started finding success. Vid “I feel like I handled it pretty well,” Green said. “I could have handled it a lot better, but I still try to get my teammates involved. I know I had a lot of turnovers, but I didn’t want to just make it a one-on-one battle with me and Cade.” “The ball pressure speeds you up a little bit,” Weaver said. “When the pick-and-roll does come and they come out blitzing and flood over like they were to begin with, the first thing is just how quickly he read it. The first play that happened, he found the pocket and played four-on-three behind it. Consistently made the right play. There’s ways to get even better — more accurate passing, better spacing behind — but that’s what Summer League is about. A chance to get those reps at game speed and feel how we can execute things even better.” • The Green-Cunningham matchup itself, though, was a bit underwhelming from an excitement standpoint. Summer League patrons wanted to see more of the clear-outs, isolations, pull-ups and crossovers to ooh and ahh the crowd. Cunningham had a nifty crossover and snatch back that fooled Green, and Green nailed a few triples over Cunningham. Other than that, both players looked to play within the flow of the game. Green finished with a 26.6 usage rate, in line for a player that has the ability to dominate the ball but doesn’t need to. Cunningham is a wonderful player and will be a joy for years to come. Green is, too. The league is in good hands, whether fans enjoyed the head-to-head or not. • We must talk about Alperen Sengun. And in doing so, we must talk about Luis Scola. There are some pretty heavy Scola vibes in the young Turkish player, just from an overall craftiness standpoint, hustle and the flair he shows. Perhaps it’s a benefit of playing in an overseas league filled with older pros, but Sengun clearly already belongs at this level. If his emphatic block on Cunningham wasn’t impressive enough, the other parts of his game surely were. Pick-and-roll synergy with Green and Josh Christopher. Quirky dribbles and Euros. Spin layups and up-and-unders. Timely charges. All these are shades of the former Rockets big. I mean, look at this. What? Vid That’s big-boy basketball. Sure, he’ll need to bulk up at some point. His hands still need work. He’s guilty of holding the ball a tad too long at times. But this kid is fun as hell to watch, and it is a Summer League joy in what has already been a week filled with sharp performances from the 2021 class. Well done, Rockets. • I wrote a great deal about Christopher less than 24 hours ago, but I wanted to touch on his offensive game a bit. In some ways, he (and credit to Khyri Thomas) saved Houston’s blushes. This could have very well been a Detroit runaway win, and it certainly looked like it during the first quarter, but Christopher continues to impress on both sides of the ball. He’ll get the most praise and attention for his Jrue Holiday-esque clamping of Cunningham, but don’t forget his other strengths. He’s a strong, downhill player who is incredibly flexible after taking contact and also seeks it out. Christopher finished with 15 points and, even better, seven assists, showcasing yet another skill of his — playmaking. A year after Stephen Silas dreaded the lack of ballhandling options on the roster, Houston looks to be in good hands. • Training camp should be fun. There will be a healthy competition for minutes and spots in Houston’s pecking order, a battle that might not be more interesting than the one at guard. On draft night, Christopher might have been on the outside looking in, but he’s definitely earned the right to fight in the upcoming training camp and, eventually, preseason. I’d expect Martin to be deployed as a small-ball big this season, as he’s shown the versatility to handle reps down low (and Silas loves small ball). The wing battles also will be interesting. Danuel House and Jae’Sean Tate should duke it out, along with David Nwaba (and Martin). Does Houston go Daniel Theis to start? Bring him off the bench? Fun times ahead.
Comparing Sengun to Scola is a bit of a slap in the face at this point. That’s saying he can be a role player, when he has shown every bit of the upside that anyone else in the entire draft has shown. In fact he has been the best player on the court in every game he has played so far and that included Green, Mobley and Cunningham. When has Scola blocked 4 shots in a game anyway, let alone back to back games? Also holding the ball too long? Every time he’s touched the ball something good has happened. He has been a far better decision maker than any of our guards. If anything he is not getting the ball nearly enough. Kelly is writing 8 page bios on Josh Christopher and hasn’t written a single article on the best player on the team. And now nitpicks imaginary faults? I know I’m being sensitive right now but damn it show some respect.
I like how the announcers said Sengun was 6’9 then spent the rest of the broadcast wondering why he looked bigger. Either he’s a legit 6’10 ala Horford or his wingspan is at least 7’. In any case arguing about 1 inch back and forth is pointless now because it is clear that size will not be an issue for him as a legit center, he did not look one bit undersized next to the 7 foot Mobley, he was a little shorter but that didn’t stop him from blocking Mobley, twice. Also remember he just turned 19, in a few years he will get far stronger and become an immovable force, rendering an inch inconsequential.
