Temperature Check for Demarcus Cousins 11 games in.
Demarcus Cousins has played 11 games for the Milwaukee Bucks so far. Nobody asked, but let’s do a quick evaluation of his time with the Champs so far and see how he’s fit in or stood out. Has this partnership been mutually beneficial? How so?
Through 11 games, Boogie is averaging 8.4 points per game, 5.6 rebounds per game, 1.5 assist per game, and surprisingly, one steal per game. He even had a game against the Cleveland Cavaliers where he had a grand total of five steals to go along with a nice double-double. He provides an inside presence and size on the defensive end while adding toughness and keeping opposing bigs honest on the offensive end. He has not spaced the floor the way you might have hoped, shooting only 22.6% from deep. However, his production and overall scoring is trending in the right direction. He’s averaging just 16.9 minutes per contest currently. He’s proven that he can produce given more time. Coach Bud has gone to him to start the last 4 games and he’s answered the call. He’s scored in double figures the last 3 games. Last time out he tallied 22 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists, with 1 block and 1 steal. There is no doubting his effectiveness on that end of the court.
Something that maybe less people have noticed about his play, is his effectiveness on the defensive end. His size and positioning have been the missing ingredient to the Bucks defense. Jrue, Kris and Pat are all excellent defenders when there is a big behind them to protect the rim. They are great at funneling players to the rim at unconventional angles and they almost never give up on a play. It’s why they always get so many turnovers, steals and deflections. Cousins has been that big. He’s a part of the reason the Bucks have been able to win 3 of the last 5 games without our MVP. His size and presence alone seem to be enough to alter a lot of shots. Teams are scraping their own play books to focus on getting him out of the paint as often as possible. He still needs to get into better shape if he wants to sustain more minutes, but he has gone hard in the minutes that he gotten.
Here’s to looking forward to the rest of the season and holding out hope that he’ll make the necessary adjustments. If he does, he may end the year as a key contributor on a championship team. Wishful thinking!
