DeMarcus Cousins, Houston Rockets.
There has been more conversation of late over what the Portland Trail Blazers need to improve the team. A big man or a wing. To be clear, in this case, “wing” refers to a small forward, shooting guard, or point guard. Most say Portland needs a big man. The minority believes the more significant need is a wing.
Since CJ McCollum and Jusuf Nurkic have been out with injury, point guard Damian Lillard has been doing some heavy lifting. He could use more help, especially in the frontcourt.
The following is a breakdown of the Portland Trail Blazers’ stats over the last 30 days.
| Player | Minutes | FG% | FT% | 3PTM | PPG | Reb | Ast | Stl | Blk | TO |
| Lillard | 35:37 | .461 | .919 | 4.6 | 31.6 | 4.1 | 8.8 | 1.2 | 0.2 | 3.2 |
| Trent Jr. | 35:12 | .449 | .840 | 4.1 | 19.3 | 2.4 | 1.6 | 1.1 | 0.2 | 0.8 |
| RoCo | 32:49 | .440 | .900 | 1.8 | 8.8 | 6.7 | 1.9 | 1.8 | 1.4 | 0.8 |
| Kanter | 30:17 | .554 | .703 | 0 | 12.9 | 12.9 | 1.2 | 0.5 | 0.7 | 1.5 |
| DJJ | 26:54 | .525 | .682 | 0.8 | 8.7 | 5.4 | 0.8 | 0.3 | 0.9 | 0.6 |
| Melo | 25:38 | .389 | .838 | 1.6 | 14.4 | 3.9 | 1.4 | 0.6 | 1.0 | 1.0 |
| R. Hood | 24:10 | .395 | .600 | 0.7 | 6.8 | 2.1 | 1.0 | 0.7 | 0.0 | 0.8 |
| Simons | 23:34 | .455 | .882 | 3.1 | 12.9 | 2.9 | 1.8 | 0.4 | 0.1 | 1.3 |
| H. Giles | 14:10 | .415 | .800 | 0.1 | 3.6 | 6.3 | 1.2 | 0.1 | 0.3 | 0.8 |
| N. Little | 13:00 | .571 | 1.000 | 1.1 | 6.3 | 2.1 | 0.3 | 0.2 | 0.3 | 0.6 |
This leaves little doubt about Damian being an All-Star. It also adds fire to his case for him being an ASG starter. Many things can be pulled from this statistical breakdown. But circling back to the beginning, the debate of the teams’ need.
It looks like the Houston Rockets and center DeMarcus Cousins are about to part ways. Thank the basketball gods! Now the Blazers won’t need to trade for an effective big; they can sign one. This is, of course, if Neil Olshey gives Cousins the best offer because Portland isn’t the only team interested in him. But removing the contract from consideration, the Blazers do have a lot to offer the 11-year veteran.
For instance, a title-contending team, currently sitting with home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs. Also, an opportunity to start even when the team gets back to full health. Playing alongside a bonafide All-Star.
Consequently, looking at it from Boogie’s side (that’s his nickname for those not hip). His skill set is somewhat like that of Enes Kanter‘s. The biggest difference being that Cousins can shoot the three-ball and block shots. Cousins also has some experience playing alongside another big. Also, he’s a better passer. Rip City fans are all too familiar with Cousins’ day alongside Anthony Davis.
| Player | Minutes | FG% | FT% | 3PTM | Points | Rebounds | Assists | Steals | Blocks | Turnover |
| Cousins | 24:16 | .411 | .757 | 2.1 | 11.9 | 8.8 | 2.7 | 1.0 | 0.6 | 1.7 |
Cousins’ addition to the Blazers will be a tremendous bonus. As the above graphic shows, he is still a high-quality NBA player. Cousins can still bully mismatched defenders. Over his last seven games, Cousins has three double-doubles. He finished either three boards or points or less, shy of reaching the feat, in the remaining four.
If Terry Stotts is smart, he’ll utilize Boogie in a similar fashion to how Nick Nurse used Marc Gasol with the Raptors in their title run. Cousins getting chances close to the basket to score with some open three-point looks when available. But mainly use Boogie as an offensive facilitator.
For example, envision a lineup of Lillard, Trent, RoCo, Cousins, and Kanter. Further, Kanter can mainly operate on the low block with Cousins working from the elbow. Also, with RoCo in the corner spotting up for a three-point attempt. Lillard runs the offense with Trent on the opposite wing from RoCo. Moreover, the Portland Trail Blazers now have two shooters ready to go.
Dame has another facilitator on the floor with him. If Lillard goes off a Cousins screen, Lillard can 1) drive to the hoop, 2) kick to RoCo, 3) wrap around a pass to Kanter under the basket, or 4) kick the rock back to Cousins either at the elbow or beyond the 3-point line.
Once Cousins gets the ball, he can 1) take the shot, 2) swing it to Trent, or 3) dribble the ball to shift the defense. Subsequently, this all makes the offense multi-dimensional and a little less reliant on Lillard. Obviously, once McCollum and Nurkic get back, they can step right into the Trent and Kanter spots.
As a result of bringing two more playmakers onto the floor. With Nurkic and Cousins, Stotts can more easily rotate their spots on the floor and not lose anything in the flow of the offense.
DeMarcus Cousins needs to be utilized in a more structured way because of the many injuries he sustained. Since the 2017-2018 season, Cousins has suffered some extensive injuries to his legs. In the before-mentioned season, he ruptured his Achilles tendon. In addition, in the 2019 season, Cousins joined the super team Gold State Warriors. It’s been Cousins’ only taste of playoff basketball, but it came at the expense of a ruptured left quad. In August of last year, Cousins tore his ACL.
On the other hand, these unfortunate series of injuries are a positive for the Blazers and Boogie. Kanter can still be the starter when Nurkic returns. Consequently, Nurkic will most likely be on a minute’s restriction as he gets back into game shape. As previously mentioned, Cousins is also on a minute’s restriction. The expectation is that Nurkic will eventually return to the starting lineup. Above all, there should be enough minutes for all three big men to get plenty of run and opportunity.
For example, by adding up the minutes played by Kanter, Giles, and Little (from the above chart), you get a total of 57:27. In other words, Kanter, Nurkic, and Cousins can each get about 20 minutes on the court. On the other hand, Stotts can lean a little heavier, in minutes, on Kanter as he’s the most durable of the bunch. But Stotts can also use a hot hand or game flow approach.
The signing of Cousins will almost certainly spell the end of Zach Collins‘ time with the Blazers. While Collins doesn’t currently have much value, he can be an interesting trade chip if Olshey feels like making a deal at the trade deadline.
At the end of the day, all Rip City fans care about and want is winning games and, ultimately, a championship. Moreover, getting a talent like Cousins without giving up anything of value or importance to the team is a dream scenario. Especially when you factor in the Blazers don’t have a first-round pick in the 2021 draft.
This is a championship-contending type of move that Olshey needs to make. It will let the team know he believes in their ability to win it all this year. Bringing Boogie to Portland will let the league know that the Blazers are pushing all their chips in on a title run. In conclusion, this is a no-brainer type of move that Olshey needs to make.
What do you think? Let us know in the comments section below or on social media.