Film Review: DeMarcus Cousin is a Warrior
Much to the chagrin of the rest of the NBA, the early returns of the Boogie Cousins experiment have been overwhelmingly positive.
Four games back from an Achilles’ injury that kept him out for nearly a full calendar year Cousins has come into the fold nicely for the Warriors, better than even internal members of the organization could have hoped for.
Apart from running the floor impressively for any 270-pound big man – much less one coming off of a potentially career-derailing injury – Cousins has shown signs of many of the things that the Warriors have always missed from a starting five – a dominant rebounder, a perimeter threat and a force to be reckoned with on the block.
Not only that, but he has fit nicely in the opening unit to the tune of a 49.7 net rating (131.4 offensive, 81.7 defensive) – which would be first among qualifying five-man lineups – and an 89.7 assist percentage (percentage of scoring plays ending in an an assist) with 30.7 points in just over 10 minutes a game.
Let’s take a look at some of the plays that stood out to me in his first few games with the Dubs.
Pick-and-roll threat
What an entrance, huh? Early in his first game back against the Clippers, the Warriors’ starters were clearly on a mission to put Cousins in good positions to make his mark, yet another testament to the unselfishness of the team. His first attempt was ill-fated, a bumbling post move that showed he still has to take some time to find his rhythm. But, as it turned out, it was for the better, because his first bucket was perfect. Cousins set a pick at the right elbow and put the trailer in an impossible position (one that many players this year will experience): follow Durant to the mid-range, or switch onto Cousins. Harris ends up in no-mans land, Durant hits Cousins in stride with a bouncer, and Boogie emphatically announces his return to the NBA. It’s a pick-and-roll from hell (or heaven, depending on your perspective).
Rim-running
Much like with the conundrum that the pick-and-roll puts defenders in, Cousins will have endless opportunities in transition to pick up easy buckets, where his energy on the floor comes in handy. Here, Cousins is ahead of all four other Warriors on the break. Despite having three defenders around him, all three either run out at or are distracted by Durant, leaving Cousins with a wide-open lane. Durant again lays down a bounce pass and Boogie cashes in. He’s going to get 2-3 of these a game when Durant and Steph are on simply by running the floor.
Gifted passer
Much is the case for big men, Boogie does not get enough credit as a passer. He’s averaged over five a game the past two seasons and is averaging 6.5 assists per 36 minutes in his three games, the most in his career, and he will have ample opportunities to improve on that over the course of the season. On this play here, as he is backing up his defender, he sees Curry slipping to the rim and leads him open with a bounce pass. Much like with his teammates finding him in optimal positions, he has done a great job of setting them up.
Offensive rebounds, hustle
One of my biggest takeaways from the first few games: Cousins should inhale rebounds on this team. In 20 minutes per, he’s averaged 7 rebounds a game; that’s 15 per 36 minutes, which over a full season would be a career high. The Warriors haven’t had a threat on the block like this since Andrew Bogut, and we remember how big of a hole he left the last few games of the 2016 Finals. On a team with this many cold-blooded shooters, any extra opportunity is a death sentence. On this play, Boogie not only grabs the rebounds (so easily), he is able to get it to Klay in the corner even after he fumbles the ball.
Agile in the post
More than being a bruiser in the paint and on the glass, Cousins is as offensively skilled as any big man in today’s game. He will get limited opportunities this year with the lessened share of the offensive load, but all that means is that he will be able to work on being more efficient, as Durant has done in the past two-and-a-half years with the Dubs. On this play early against the Wizards, Cousins shows off his best move of the season, driving into a left-leaning spin move reminiscent of Kyrie Irving’s game-winner on Christmas Day 2016. This was two of a season-high 17 points on 8-for-11 shooting against the Wiz.
Mismatch
One of the great things that Cousins brings is versatility in lineup options. The Hamptons Five – Curry, Thompson, Iguodala, Durant and Green – has been the flagship unit for Kerr, closing halves and games and forcing teams to adapt to their small-ball style. With Cousins, the Warriors have another (several, actually) dominating lineup in their Fatal 5 starting unit of Curry, Thompson, Durant, Green and Cousins. A lot of teams, however, have come to adopt small-ball lineups of their own, and will again need to adapt to what the Warriors put on the floor. In the play below, we see a huge mismatch for Cousins against 230-pound Sam Dekker, and even with help from Otto Porter, Cousins gets to the paint easily. Yet another wrinkle to add to this already historic offense.
Boogie on the break
Truthfully, have you ever seen a legitimate starting lineup with five guys who can bring the ball up in transition? Below, we see Boogie on the break and running the offense once they set up the halfcourt. Him and Klay, who have run some beautiful two-man sets, work together here to get Klay to his spot at the top of the key. Again, with Boogie’s pure size, he doesn’t have to set a true pick, just stand in place and it slows Kuzma down enough to give Klay space and time.
“Bellyflop Boogie”
Cousins joked earlier in his rehab that he was the third splash brother. And in his first game back, he hit three triples, each more open than the last. Here, as he does so often, Draymond held the ball at the top of the key with Klay in motion. When Klay peels around Green, both defenders in the paint back up to get in between him and rim. When Boban and Harrel step back, it leaves Cousins alone at the elbow. Cousins is not as prolific of a sniper as others in the lineup, but you still have to press on him, and with this much space, he will have a field day from three, and he did. It’s like a cherry on top of the sundae.