You can't help but laugh at what Hollinger puts together regarding Mr. Cousins:
DeMARCUS COUSINS, PF
Projection: 21.1 pts, 11.7 reb, 4.7 ast per 40 min; 16.04 PER • Talented big man who can overpower foes in paint. Has poor shot selection.
• Poorly conditioned, needs to lose weight. Has had attitude problems.
• Has shown passing skill but takes terrible chances. Must improve defense.
It's difficult to compress all my thoughts on Cousins into a concise summary, because there was so much to like ... and so much to dislike. The range of potential outcomes here is enormous. If you told me he was out of the league in five years, it wouldn't shock me. If you told me he was an MVP candidate, that wouldn't surprise me either. He really is tremendously talented, but between all his personal red flags and the half-wit organization surrounding him, it's an open question whether he'll come anywhere close to hitting his lofty ceiling.
Cousins averaged a point every two minutes and ranked eighth among power forwards in rebound rate, but he might have been the most inefficient player in basketball. Despite enviable passing skills he posted a pathetic minus-5.71 pure point rating, a number that surpassed only four other players in the league. Turnovers were the root of the problem, as Cousins would throw passes from the high post regardless of whether his target was open, set illegal screens by the dozen and generally handle the ball like he was discarding a used tissue. The crazy thing is that he can really pass out of the post when he's double-teamed, and he sees the floor in the open court too.
That might have been OK if his shot selection wasn't so awful. Cousins shot only 43.2 percent, an amazingly low figure for a physically dominant big man. He drew a high rate of free throws but could have pushed the envelope much further. Instead, he tended to settle for high-arcing fadeaways and other assorted bad shots. In particular, he struggled on short-range shots off his postups but he kept on forcing them up. From 3-to-9 feet, Cousins shot only 30.4 percent, but he took 283 shots from there -- per minute, only seven players tried more.
Defensively, Cousins struggled -- partly because of inexperience, partly because of indifference, and partly because he's out of shape and needs to lose weight. His biggest problem was fouling, as he gave one every seven minutes (the third-worst rate among power forwards) and as a result was often fighting foul trouble. That only worsened his defensive malaise, unfortunately, as he'd leave the gate open to avoid another whistle. Despite those issues, his overall defensive numbers were fairly solid. Cousins controlled the boards, and he has the size to handle post players, plus he has fast hands and ranked 11th among power forwards in steals per minute.
Overall, it feels like we're watching the new Hot Plate Williams. There's no question about the talent, but whether Cousins will ever harness it remains in considerable doubt.
That might have been OK if his shot selection wasn't so awful. Cousins shot only 43.2 percent, an amazingly low figure for a physically dominant big man. He drew a high rate of free throws but could have pushed the envelope much further. Instead, he tended to settle for high-arcing fadeaways and other assorted bad shots. In particular, he struggled on short-range shots off his postups but he kept on forcing them up. From 3-to-9 feet, Cousins shot only 30.4 percent, but he took 283 shots from there -- per minute, only seven players tried more.
Lowest percentage of at-rim baskets assisted, frontcourt players, 2010-11
| Player | Team | Pct. assisted |
|---|---|---|
| DeMarcus Cousins | Sac | 32.5 |
| Zach Randolph | Mem | 48.0 |
| Dirk Nowitzki | Dal | 48.4 |
| David West | NO | 48.5 |
| Al Harrington | Den | 49.6 |
| Min. 500 minutes | ||
It should be mentioned that Cousins got phenomenally little help from his guards. Only 37.6 percent of his baskets were assisted, by far the least of any big. Wait, it gets worse. Only 32.5 percent of his shots at the rim came with an assist, which is completely ridiculous. This was the lowest figure of any non-point guard in basketball except one (see Tyreke Evans comment), and among big men the difference is preposterous (see chart) -- Zach Randolph was the next-closest player at 48.0.
Defensively, Cousins struggled -- partly because of inexperience, partly because of indifference, and partly because he's out of shape and needs to lose weight. His biggest problem was fouling, as he gave one every seven minutes (the third-worst rate among power forwards) and as a result was often fighting foul trouble. That only worsened his defensive malaise, unfortunately, as he'd leave the gate open to avoid another whistle. Despite those issues, his overall defensive numbers were fairly solid. Cousins controlled the boards, and he has the size to handle post players, plus he has fast hands and ranked 11th among power forwards in steals per minute.
Overall, it feels like we're watching the new Hot Plate Williams. There's no question about the talent, but whether Cousins will ever harness it remains in considerable doubt.
