College
2009-10 – Kentucky Wildcats
Career
2010-17 – Sacramento Kings
2017-18 – New Orleans Pelicans
2018-19 – Golden State Warriors
2020-21 – Houston Rockets
2021 – LA Clippers
2021-22 – Milwaukee Bucks
2022 – Denver Nuggets
Often when discussing dominant big men in the 21st century a name that slips our minds is DeMarcus Cousins. In college Cousins played for the Kentucky Wildcats being coached by John Calipari and playing with superstar talent John Wall. Cousins would go on to average 15.1 points per game and 9.8 rebounds per game that season, which would lead him to enter the 2010 NBA draft where he would be selected 5th overall by the Sacramento Kings.
Although he did finish third in Rookie of the Year voting behind collegiate teammate John Wall and winner Blake Griffin of the Los Angeles Clippers there were clear holes in Cousins’ game. At the beginning of Cousins' NBA career, he was inefficient as his shot selection was poor and he often settled for jump shots. Cousins' play style needed refining as his assist-to-turnover ratio was poor even though he was showing flashes of being a great playmaker.
In 2013 we saw a huge development in Cousins’ game, he managed to achieve his first season averaging over twenty points per game and on top of that, his field goal percentage increased to 49.6 percent. The following season Cousins made his first All-Star appearance as he started to extend his shooting and build a consistent jump shot. Despite this, the Sacramento Kings still had not made the NBA playoffs during Cousins’ tenure, which led to his growing frustration. The Sacramento Kings had no stability during the Cousins’ era as they drafted poorly consistently meaning there was a lack of talent surrounding him. Furthermore, the front office and head coach positions continuously changing led to the detriment of the Sacramento Kings.
During All-Star weekend in 2017 Cousins’ was told during a broadcast interview that he has been traded to the New Orleans Pelicans. This could be seen as the perfect move for Cousins as he would be paired with perennial All-Star power forward Anthony Davis. Cousins was now at the peak of his powers as he was nimble around the rim, explosive, and had great size and strength combined with his ability to stretch the floor and make plays for others. Anthony Davis brought out the playmaking expertise of Cousins. As the two developed a two-man game as Cousins was an underrated passer in pick-and-roll actions. Cousins in the 2017/18 season would set a career high in assists averaging 5.4 per game. Nevertheless, on January 26th, 2018, DeMarcus Cousins tore his Achilles against the Houston Rockets which kept him out for the remainder of a very promising season.
In the offseason, DeMarcus Cousins left the Pelicans to join the star-studded Golden State Warriors on a one-year deal who are coming off back-to-back championships. This would be Cousins' best chance so far in his NBA career to lift the Larry O’Brien trophy as he was among NBA talent who knew how to get it done. Cousins coming off the Achilles injury would struggle to begin with as it was clear that he had lost some of his athleticism through the injury. Throughout the year he would begin to build chemistry with his teammates, but constant injuries kept him off the court for the majority of the campaign. Golden State would go on to lose in the NBA finals to Kawhi Leonard's Toronto Raptors with Cousins returning from an injury in the finals but looking a shell of his former self.
The Los Angeles Lakers then signed Cousins in free agency for the 19/20 season. Although the Lakers did go on to lift the Larry O’Brien, Cousins tore his ACL before the beginning of the campaign meaning he did not feature that year. Injuries would go on to hamper the rest of his career with his role diminishing year by year. This would lead us to the present day where Cousins is no longer in the NBA and plays overseas for the Zamboanga Valientes in the Philippines.
DeMarcus Cousins is a four-time All-Star, two-time All-NBA and an Olympic champion in the Rio Olympics with Team USA. Unfortunately, we never got to see the best version of Cousins due to injury and still, he is one of the best centers we have seen in the 2010s. Not only for his play style but the tenacity that he played basketball with and his charismatic presence on and off the court, DeMarcus Cousins is one we shall never forget.
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