In this edition of FLANNS & ZILLZ, our writers discuss whether DeMarcus Cousins might actually supplant Anthony Davis as the most promising big man in the NBA if things break differently. No, recreational drugs were not involved in the formation of this thesis, unless coffee counts. Enjoy.
What if DeMarcus Cousins, not Anthony Davis, is the NBA’s next great big man?
Before you react too rashly, let’s talk this out.
Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports
ZILLER: Mr. Flannery, let me quote something you wrote in this week’s Sunday Shootaround.
Let’s do the old compare and contrast thing. Player 1 has averaged 22 points, 12.4 rebounds and 3.1 assists per 36 minutes during his career. Player 2 has posted 21.2 points, 10.7 rebounds and 1.7 assists per 36 minutes. Player 1 is DeMarcus Cousins. Player 2 is Anthony Davis. Now, AD is two years younger, has been to the postseason and is playing for a coach in a system designed for him. Cousins has yet to reach the playoffs and is on his fifth coach in seven years. AD’s support system, while far from perfect, is still way more coherent than the dysfunction Cousins has endured. Both are great players, but maybe Cousins is the one poised for a breakout into the elite.
I am intrigued by your ideas. To be sure, that 4-for-5 shooting on three-pointers in the opener from Cousins was a fluke, and he’s not going to shoot that much or that well 90 percent of the time. But in each of his games this season, and most nights last year, he’s looked like a true wonder, something close to unstoppable in the modern NBA. It would appear we’ve underappreciated Boogie’s potential to be legitimately great. Like, MVP consideration great.
No one understated Davis’ ability to reach that level. But to put it kindly, AD has looked imminently stoppable in the early going. We thought Davis was the future, but right now we have to consider Boogie might be better now and ... forever?
FLANNERY: I think we all underestimated how much of a transition it would be from Monty Williams' deliberate offense to Alvin Gentry's up-tempo system. Add that to the Pels' horrific run of injuries and it's impossible to get an accurate read on this team's trajectory. Unless you think they're going to go 22-60 or something, and I obviously don't. There's no spacing out there for Davis, very little playmaking and no secondary offensive threat.
We’re at two opposite poles right now with Boogie and AD, so an overreaction is not only plausible, it’s expected. Let me state yet again that Anthony Davis is the future of basketball. I believe he will be a transformative player who will carry the league in a post-Lebron future. If you’re asking me who I would rather have, the answer is Anthony Davis now and forever.
That said, Boogie has been really, really good. You watch them a lot more than I do, obviously, so help us understand how his game has developed recently.
ZILLER: He’s just better than he has been, really. A better finisher, a better shooter, a smarter playmaker, a more dedicated defender. It’s like super basic plain improvement ... though the deeper range has a feel of the new. He’s shot a lot of 20-footers and a few threes his whole career. He used to miss most of them. Now he can make them more frequently. That’s kind of boring, right?
I also think Boogie is Exhibit A for the theory of the importance of a star's supporting cast to the star's own development. Cousins played with young Tyreke Evans and Isaiah Thomas, good combo guards. But Darren Collison and Rajon Rondo are much, much better passers, and being able to count on getting the ball on time and in good spots has been huge for Boogie. Having reliable rim protectors has been a treat, too. This Boogie-Willie Cauley-Stein pairing looks promising.
With Davis, it feels like player recreating the sport in his image. With Boogie, he’s harkening back to an era where mammoths ruled the court. It’s revolution vs. remembrance, and I think that affects how important we see each.
I should say that I also believe fully in Davis as a re-imagined Kevin Garnett, though I don't ever remember KG getting bullied by a guy the size of Draymond Green ...
FLANNERY: Couple of interesting points here. First, the support system. The Basketball Internet has been arguing about Dell Demps' decision to bypass the draft and build with young vets since he traded for Jrue Holiday. I remain one of the last defenders of this approach, although defenders may be too strong a label for my support. I maintain that adding Holiday was a defensible move and Jrue's unfortunate injury history has made that deal look far worse than it was. It hasn't been perfect, but it's a strategy.
I've rarely had the sense that the Kings have had much -- if any -- of a long-term strategy for building around Cousins. Plans have come and gone, along with coaching staffs and draft picks that don't pan out. It's possible that the new additions will work out wonderfully. I remain skeptical of the overall mix and think it's too combustible, but at least it's a start. Five years without realistic playoff aspirations is a tough grind for a young franchise player.
The other is the idea that Davis and Cousins have come along in very interesting times. While AD represents the evolution of very tall men doing amazingly athletic things, Cousins is a throwback to the days of physical dominance. It does make you wonder how they’d be perceived in a less enlightened era.
So, if AD is KG without the crazy, what is Boogie?
ZILLER: I like him as a bigger Barkley, though the improved range and playmaking is changing that calculus slightly. Interestingly, Shaq is one of the stronger stats-based comp you see. One of my favorite Boogie facts is that he used to say Pau Gasol was his favorite player to watch. He's got some Pau to his game. The Gasols may yet leave an incredible mark on Southern basketball, but that's another conversation entirely.
This is where I note that these guys could have been teammates: the Kings were one game better than New Orleans in 2011-12. The then-Hornets won the lottery, and Davis. The Kings ended up with Thomas Robinson. Alas. Do you seen a rivalry sparking here among the two best bigs of their generation?
FLANNERY: They have that Kentucky thing going for them, but even two years apart seems like an eternity in Wildcat years. They’d have to meet in the playoffs for that to take shape, and I don’t think either of us see that happening for a while.
Let’s talk about the rather sizable elephant in the room. I hesitate to even bring this up because I haven’t spent any time around Cousins, so this is entirely speculative. But I have spent a decent amount of time with AD and he seems like a young fella with the right set of priorities. There isn’t a single team in the league that would think twice about investing their entire franchise around the guy. Again, I haven’t been around Boogie at all, but I do think there are teams that would hesitate to bring him on board. You have to take that into account if you’re asking to take one or the other, right?
ZILLER: Sure. He has had more fist fights with NBA teammates (1) than Davis likely ever will. And I think simply on the basketball merits, Davis is the choice here -- the personality stuff is frosting. The question, I think, is whether Cousins will be a legit rival for awards, maybe titles down the line. Both need lots more help, of course, unless Cousins gets moved. I think if the stars align then Boogie is poised to be a serious rival.
This is apparently all irrelevant once Karl Towns figures out the NBA. So, like, next week.
FLANNERY: The narrative has to turn a bit for Boogie. The Kings obviously have to get better, but what’s interesting is a large swath of pundits (myself included) are ready to anoint AD. This early-season stumble has already caused a bit more scrutiny. How will he react if things continue to go awry? Cousins has lived his entire NBA existence under that kind of harsh glare. If he and the Kings surpass expectations then we will all look upon him with fresh eyes. ‘Tis a fickle thing.
Long story short, yes, this can be a fascinating battle for the next decade. Towns aside, and maybe Jahlil Okafor, there is not a long line of super-talented young bigs at the moment. We can get around this for All-NBA purposes by calling one a forward and the other a center, but they are Alpha and Omega of big men at the moment.
ZILLER: And here’s to a decade of realized potential and exclamation remarks!
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