Are We Sure the Golden State Warriors and DeMarcus Cousins Can Coexist?
The Warriors got their first public taste of the DeMarcus Cousins experience Friday night vs. the New York Knicks, when the infamous center got ejected for spouting off to Enes Kanter and referee Scott Foster from the bench.
Pretty on-brand for Cousins, who has compiled 119 career technical fouls. It comes with the territory for the top-tier big man, who is nearing his return from an Achilles injury that has held him out since late January.
The Warriors hope Cousins will stir the pot for a Golden State Warriors team that could always use a little extra motivation. But is this what they're hoping for?
The Warriors incumbents are no strangers to the T. Last year, Kevin Durant and Draymond Green reached new heights, err lows, when it came to drawing the ire of referees.
The Warriors should be much more concerned with how Cousins will fit on the court. This isn't a fantasy team. The Warriors play a particular brand of basketball that requires motion, movement, speed and pace, and none of those characteristics apply to Cousins. And yet, the Warriors are looking forward to his return.
"We can't wait until he gets back out there," shooting guard Klay Thompson told reporters at the Warriors' practice facility. "There's no need to rush because we want him at his absolute healthiest. I know he's itching to get back because he's such a competitor. He's going to be a huge part of our team going forward."
Since the 2015 Finals, the Warriors have rewritten big-man rules. They slid Draymond Green to the center position and played with five versatile, wing-type players, and the NBA has been adjusting to that ever since. How will a ball-dominant, slower-moving post player fit in? How much does Cousins reinvent the Warriors' identity, and how much does playing for the Dubs reinvent Boogie?
"I think you'll see us use him in that David West role from the last couple of years, when David anchored the second unit," head coach Steve Kerr told Tolbert & Lund of KNBR. "I think you'll see us play through DeMarcus, and we'll put him on the low block and have guys cutting around him."
Cousins' passing abilities can be showcased in that role, and with all the shooters and cutters attracting attention, help won't come as frequently. That will open up much easier scoring chances out of the post than ever before.
"There's not much concern, but it's not that simple," Warriors assistant Ron Adams explained to Bleacher Report. "DeMarcus had to be ball-dominant in his setting. Kevin, early on in Seattle and Oklahoma City, he had a skill that you had to utilize. You have to look at the setting.
"What are the players on the roster? What can they do? You have a couple of exceptional talents who are going to carry the load. And gradually, as the roster changes, you get more versatility, more players with a high skill level; then that equation changes. You always have to examine the setting. You always have to examine the environment in which the guy plays."
Though Cousins was matched with 2017-18 MVP candidate Anthony Davis for 48 games in 2017-18, this is going to be the first time in Cousins' career where he's truly not the offensive focal point.
You may remember assistant coach Chris Finch was brought in from the Denver Nuggets to develop a Point Boogie-type offense with the New Orleans Pelicans, much in the mold of the one constructed around Nikola Jokic. Being outside of the spectrum of primary facilitator will enhance his other skills and give him the potential to reach another level as an offensive threat.
"The other thing that we can do—that we haven't really had a big capable of doing since I've been here—is putting him in some high screens and popping him out to the three-point line," Kerr continued. "He's a really good three-point shooter. He's got amazing soft hands, soft touch, and then he can pass from out there too."
Cousins' passing is his most transferable skill to the Warriors offense. Having the scorers around him, he could become more of a focal point than previously thought.
"Just shows the skill set he has and the dimensions he can add to our team," Thompson said. "His floor-spacing, his ability to see the game. I think he averaged five or six assists last year, and I expect him to do the same with us because we have so many good scorers."
The Warriors cut more frequently than any other team, and they have for each of the past two seasons, creating easy layups and three-pointers with all their gravity. With arguably the best passing big man in the league, the degree of difficulty on these shots will go way down, even as the volume increases.
The most terrifying aspect of the Cousins addition is that the Warriors have a center for every style of play. If they want a rim-rolling, Clint Capela type, they can use Damian Jones. If they want a switching, defensive 5, they can use Kevon Looney. If they want to go to the Hamptons 5 lineup, that's still an option. If they want to counter the elite scoring centers in the league, they now have that ability.
"Damian can do some things DeMarcus can't, as far as athletically, and vice versa," Thompson said. "So they can really learn from each other, and they can be menaces in the paint for the whole year."
The Warriors added an elite big man to an already incredible core. They can beat you playing any brand of basketball, and they're more equipped to match up with any team than ever before. This team has created a culture of building individual skills, even if there will be some early growing pains.
"Oh, man," Thompson said of adding Cousins to the lineup with the four All-Stars. "It'll be magical."
