It looks like the Rookie of the Year race will be an intense one, especially with Houston Rockets guard Jalen Green raring to prove he's better than Detroit Pistons playmaker Cade Cunningham.
In an interview with Yahoo Sports, Green opened up about his goal for the 2021-22 season after his stellar Summer League showing for the Rockets. Unsurprisingly, he emphasized his desire to win the top rookie award–but not before highlighting the fact that he fell to no. 2 in the draft after the Pistons selected Cunningham with the no. 1 pick.
“I need it. I feel like I’m the best player in the class,” the Rockets youngster said of aiming for the Rookie of the Year honor. “I didn’t go No. 1, so I’m going to go get the Rookie of the Year.”
Those are certainly big words from Jalen Green, but there's no doubt he has the tools to walk the talk. In his three games in the Summer League, he averaged 20.3 points, 4.3 rebounds and 2.0 assists while shooting over 50 percent from the field and beyond the arc.
Interestingly, he also won his first battle with Cade Cunningham, going for 25 points, five rebounds and three assists in Houston's 111-91 win over Detroit. Cunningham, for his part, finished with 20 points, four rebounds, two assists and three steals in the said game.
It will definitely be interesting to see both Green and Cunningham battle it out when the 2021-22 season starts. The Rockets rookie is undoubtedly hungry to prove his doubters wrong, and it should only motivate and fire up his Pistons counterpart in Cade.
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