While it is no secret that DeMarcus Cousins has endured a bit of a rough stretch as of late, he has not been shy about enjoying a potential resurgence with the Los Angeles Lakers for the 2019-20 NBA season.
Fortunately, Cousins finds himself in familiar territory in Los Angeles working alongside Anthony Davis. Cousins is just a season removed from when he was still paired up with Davis on the New Orleans Pelicans.
Although their first stint together was brief, they proved to be quite the formidable frontcourt duo in New Orleans. Cousins felt their chemistry played an integral part in their desire to team up once the opportunity presented itself.
“I think we’re a pretty tough big man duo,” Cousins explained during his conference call. “That’s part of the reason why we wanted to become teammates again. We realized how much better we made one another and how much we made the game easier for each other. We both appreciate each other’s presence.”
Cousins added that having LeBron James now in the mix is just the icing on the cake.
“To add LeBron James to the mix, his résumé speaks for itself,” Cousins said. “One of the greatest players ever to play the game added to that, so it should be an exciting season.”
There is still plenty of speculation regarding Cousins’ role in the lineup, but it is safe to assume the Lakers will be looking to take advantage of having their two talented big men play together. After all, they grew rather close as teammates in New Orleans with Davis even representing Cousins’ likeness in the All-Star Game.
Unfortunately, they were not able to enjoy much success in terms of competing for a championship before their time together with the Pelicans was up. The Lakers are optimistic they have the secret ingredient that can potentially complete the failed experiment.
The onus could very well fall on James to make this work now as he is the primary ballhandler. Regardless, the rapport between Davis and Cousins should pay huge dividends once the trio is able to get on the same page.
Although the signing of Cousins has largely gone overlooked in terms of gauging star power around the league, he could prove to be quite the game-changer in a league that appears to be more balanced than it has been in a very long time.
