Game Preview: Thunder Kick Off Summer League Against Cade Cunningham and Pistons

MGM Resorts NBA Summer League 2021 is set to kick off on Sunday night, with the Oklahoma City Thunder and Detroit Pistons being one of the marquee matchups.

Taking place August 8-17 at Thomas & Mack Center and Cox Pavilion on the campus of the University of Nevada in Las Vegas, 75 games will take place over the course of the ten days.

Full Schedule: Thunder Summer League

All 75 games will air on the ESPN networks or NBA TV. Each team will play five games, with four being played to determine who will matchup in the fifth based on record.

ODDS:

At +1500, the Oklahoma City Thunder are tied for their the eighth best odds to win MGM Resorts NBA Summer League 2021.

KEYS TO THE GAME:

All eyes will be on this opening night matchup as the Detroit Pistons will showcase their recent No. 1 overall pick in Cade Cunningham. After a season at Oklahoma State, he's set to take the league by storm as the next generational point guard.

On the flip side, the Oklahoma City Thunder have a 6-foot-8 guard of their own in Josh Giddey. Selected with the sixth overall pick in the recent draft, he doesn't have the same game as Cunningham, but certainly has the chance to be a franchise-altering player.

While no major takeaways should come from NBA Summer League due to small sample size and players just getting their feet wet, it will be fascinating to see some of these rookies and other young players in action.

Full Roster: Thunder Summer League

There's a great chance that this summer league will feature several future NBA All-Stars.

Projecting the Thunder's 2021-22 Starting Lineup

RECORDS:

Oklahoma City Thunder (0-0) vs. Detroit Pistons (0-0)

WHEN:

Sunday, August 8, 2021 at 7:30 PM CT

LOCATION:

Thomas & Mack Center, Las Vegas, NV

TV/RADIO:

ESPN 2

FINAL WORD:

At the end of the day, teams getting the ability to see some of their young prospects in game action is the most important thing. While it will naturally be competitive given the high-level athletes involved, there will be true roster decisions made across the league based on individual performance over the court of NBA Summer League.

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