The pernicious backdown dribbles in the paint, coupled with unannounced spin moves and deft hook shots, left DeMarcus Cousins virtually unstoppable.
For seven awe-inspiring years in Sacramento, and two fairly short seasons in New Orleans, Cousins was firmly entrenched and considered by many, as the best big man that the NBA had to offer. Of course, since then, his once promising career has been derailed by countless injuries.
At his lowest, Cousins found himself jobless as numerous NBA clubs grew uninterested in attaching their franchise to his now fragile body. Yet, with the Houston Rockets Rockets showing Cousins the door during the 2020-21 season, the LA Clippers extended Cousins a lifeline. After proving his worth, averaging 7.6 points and 4.5 rebounds in 16 games, Cousins flashed some of his old dominance.
As the former six-time All-Star continues his search for an NBA home, his most recent resume was somewhat impressive. In his latest stop, Cousins played valuable minutes on an injury-hit Denver Nuggets team. In 31 games, Cousins averaged 8.9 points, to go along with 5.5 rebounds.
Still, despite his production, Cousins has yet to receive an offer from any NBA franchise during the offseason. And while he’ll continue to scream and shout that he’s more than capable of contributing at a high level, his words will likely fall on deaf ears.
Presently, with the LA Clippers continuing to stack their roster in the hopes of nabbing the franchise’s first NBA title, a gaping hole remains, one that Cousins is more than capable of filling.
DeMarcus Cousins can provide something that the Clippers desperately need
The presence of both Paul George and Kawhi Leonard provides LA with unbridled star power on the perimeter. The additions of both Norman Powell and Robert Covington have revamped and remodeled their bench. And, the recent signing of John Wall adds a brand new dynamic to their overall team.
Ultimately, however, the All-Star caliber players that are currently at their disposal, won’t solve their rebounding woes and tenuous scoring in the paint. Currently, Ivica Zubac is their lone big man in the lane. Just last season, LA was crushed on the glass. Although Zubac did his best to fend off bigger and more physical players down low, he was dominated on a nightly basis, resulting in an average of just 44 rebounds per game, good for just 19th in the entire association.
Also, a more jarring admission of their need for size was LA’s refusal to muck it up in the middle. With just 43 points in the paint per game, the Clippers finished 28th in that regard.
The NBA offseason is still in its infancy stages. Countless veterans are still lurking on the open market, hoping that their services will be called upon. For the LA Clippers, they’ve remained mostly mum. Outside of grabbing the services of Wall, the banner-less franchise placed an emphasis on re-signing their own players. So far, LA has done just that, inking both Amir Coffey and Nicolas Batum to multi-year return deals.
Continuity and cohesion appear to be priority number one for LA. But while they should be applauded for aggregating talent over the years and keeping it together, LA will be castigated and torn apart without the services of a legitimate big man.