Basketball Twin Towers: Why Cousins and Davis aren't working
The NBA was all agog at the awesome (on paper) pairing of DeMarcus Cousins and Anthony Davis for the New Orleans Pelicans at the trade deadline. These 2 gifted players have height, mobility and dominated scoring and rebounding for their teams. Cousins was having a career year for the Sacramento Kings, and the tandem was immediately dubbed the Twin Towers. These 2 beasts were going to light up every other team in the Association. Unfortunately, the basketball pundits forgot a couple of things:
Cousins dominated the usage rate for his team and was in the top 5 for the league. Getting fewer touches requires Cousins to change his game, and mid-season, that’s got to be tough. Boogie isn’t necessarily known for his defense, and his mid-range game comes and goes as he fires up 3-pointers with abandon. Davis can dominate inside, but has anyone seen his midrange game? If Cousins can’t improve his midrange game and lay off the 3-pointers, the Pelicans will have a problem becoming a better team.
Cousins will also need to rein in his anger and learned to play with a controlled burn. Using a ‘T’ to get fired up has detrimental effects on the team not just in the form of a free throw, but also psychologically. Teammates will begin to wonder if they can rely on Cousins being in the game, or if he is going to get tossed. Without trust, the Pelicans will not be able to improve. Cousins may not have realized this yet, but good teams with good coaches will work on getting under Cousins skin to get him out of the game, and later in the season, they will work on getting him out of a future game as well.
Robinson and Duncan worked because Duncan has that feathery soft midrange jumper that makes a high-low post offense so dangerous. Robinson learned how to play as a teammate, so his passing was pretty good. They both had the advantages of an elite level coach, a slower game that wasn’t so guard focused yet and the vaunted San Antonio culture that values team over individual and breeds loyalty and unquestioning value of the right decision every time.
Right now, the integration of Cousins in the lineup is on Cousins, who is said to have a high basketball IQ. Next year, the integration will be on the coach and the team. Maybe Davis and Cousins can be the next big thing, but until they have time to gel, the NBA will never know.
- There’s only one basketball.
- Great players on bad teams don’t always become good players on good teams.
- It takes time for teammates to gel.
- Tim Duncan and David Robinson are the last Twin Towers to have any success on the court.
Cousins dominated the usage rate for his team and was in the top 5 for the league. Getting fewer touches requires Cousins to change his game, and mid-season, that’s got to be tough. Boogie isn’t necessarily known for his defense, and his mid-range game comes and goes as he fires up 3-pointers with abandon. Davis can dominate inside, but has anyone seen his midrange game? If Cousins can’t improve his midrange game and lay off the 3-pointers, the Pelicans will have a problem becoming a better team.
Cousins will also need to rein in his anger and learned to play with a controlled burn. Using a ‘T’ to get fired up has detrimental effects on the team not just in the form of a free throw, but also psychologically. Teammates will begin to wonder if they can rely on Cousins being in the game, or if he is going to get tossed. Without trust, the Pelicans will not be able to improve. Cousins may not have realized this yet, but good teams with good coaches will work on getting under Cousins skin to get him out of the game, and later in the season, they will work on getting him out of a future game as well.
Robinson and Duncan worked because Duncan has that feathery soft midrange jumper that makes a high-low post offense so dangerous. Robinson learned how to play as a teammate, so his passing was pretty good. They both had the advantages of an elite level coach, a slower game that wasn’t so guard focused yet and the vaunted San Antonio culture that values team over individual and breeds loyalty and unquestioning value of the right decision every time.
Right now, the integration of Cousins in the lineup is on Cousins, who is said to have a high basketball IQ. Next year, the integration will be on the coach and the team. Maybe Davis and Cousins can be the next big thing, but until they have time to gel, the NBA will never know.