Many NBA fans and media personalities were focused on Houston Rockets guard Kevin Porter Jr. finally facing the Cavaliers on Wednesday night. Porter was traded to the Rockets over a year ago from Cleveland and missed the previous three meetings against them, including the Dec. 15 matchup in Cleveland due to injury.
Others, however, were waiting on another critical matchup in the form of two players selected back-to-back in the first round of the 2021 NBA draft: Rockets guard Jalen Green (No. 2 overall) and Cavaliers center Evan Mobley (No. 3). Although they play different positions, both players found themselves defending one another at times on switches.
“We all got drafted pretty high,” said Green, who was asked about going up against some of the other top rookies in his draft class, including Mobley. “We’re obviously trying to show that we’re best. We’ve been doing that since high school, so that is nothing new. Mobley always brings his game, so I had to match his energy tonight.”
