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Los Angeles Lakers: DeMarcus Cousins could be an option after hiatus

By Daniel Preciado

LOS ANGELES, CA - DECEMBER 25: A close up shot of DeMarcus Cousins #15 of the Los Angeles Lakers warming up before the game against the LA Clippers on December 25, 2019 at STAPLES Center in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2019 NBAE (Photo by Chris Elise/NBAE via Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA - DECEMBER 25: A close up shot of DeMarcus Cousins #15 of the Los Angeles Lakers warming up before the game against the LA Clippers on December 25, 2019 at STAPLES Center in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2019 NBAE (Photo by Chris Elise/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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DeMarcus Cousins was viewed as a tertiary piece of the Los Angeles Lakers‘ evolving ‘Big Three’ during the off-season. He was expected to step in, play some minutes at center, and get stronger and healthier as the season progressed.

Instead, the season was over for Boogie before it started. Cousins tore his ACL in preseason camp, 18 months removed from tearing his Achilles tendon with the New Orleans Pelicans. It was a tough blow for the Lakers and an overall hit to the career outlook of the six-time All-Star center.

The COVID-19 pandemic has dramatically altered the course of the NBA season and in turn, the Lakers’ return to dominance in the NBA. The Lakers, atop the Western Conference with a 49-14 record, are poised to make a series run for the title in 2020.

With the season being suspended and set to start up again in June at the earliest, could DeMarcus Cousins become a rotation option for the Los Angeles Lakers down the stretch and into the playoffs?

Cousins is likely never going to be an All-Star ever again because of the severity of his recent injuries, but he could still prove to be a very valuable asset to the Lakers’ playoff-bound roster. The Lakers are already somewhat set at the center position with starter Javale McGee logging 16.8 minutes per game and Dwight Howard averaging 19.2 minutes per game at the moment.

Anthony Davis logs his fair share of minutes at the five as well. Still, for a few minutes per game, Cousins could provide excellent bench depth this season – something that was not initially possible due to his return timetable.

Cousins was waived to make room for forward Markieff Morris with a wink-wink deal likely in place for next season, but he could easily re-up in the near future. If the Lakers did decide to remove the last man on their roster in favor of Cousins, the likeliest casualty would be point guard Quinn Cook.

The Lakers are enamored with forward Jared Dudley’s veteran leadership and they already have point guards in LeBron James and Rajon Rondo along with combo guards in Avery Bradley, Alex Caruso, and Dion Waiters.

Cook is simply expendable with the Lakers’ championship aspirations in mind, not to mention that Cousins is a clear upgrade over Cook despite his positional repetitiveness on the roster.

In 2018-2019 with the Warriors, Cousins averaged 16.3 points, 8.2 rebounds, and 3.6 assists per game across 25.7 minutes of action. His defensive metrics declined greatly despite still averaging 2.8 ‘stocks’ per game in limited time.

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Boogie was an absolute monster in the post in his pre-injury career and if he can ever get back to even 90 percent health, he could be a functional asset for the Los Angeles Lakers. Only time will tell if Cousins returns to Staples Center with the NBA season currently at risk.

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