The Brooklyn Nets made a splash by dealing power forward Trevor Booker to the Philadelphia 76ers in exchange for center Jahlil Okafor, guard Nik Stauskas, and the New York Knicks 2019 second-round pick. Most of the attention regarding the trade has gone to Okafor's shot redemption after he was initially taken with the third overall pick in the 2015 NBA Draft.
However, in many ways, Stauskas has been presented with the same opportunity. As a former lottery pick himself, he failed to deliver with the team that drafted him in the Sacramento Kings. Not only that, the confidence of Stauskas reportedly took a huge blow when he became teammates with then-Kings superstar center DeMarcus Cousins, according to Brian Lewis of the New York Post:
“He got shell-shocked in Sacramento by [DeMarcus] Cousins. His confidence was shot,” according to an Eastern Conference scout. “He had a bad experience there and lost confidence. Cousins is a bad teammate, and it affected him poorly. He comes to Philadelphia, and showed flashes but never consistency, never enough.”
Although his struggles can likely be attributed to many factors, Cousins is not exactly known for being the best teammate. That said, it may have been difficult for Stauskas to ever find his footing in the NBA.
Fortunately, he is coming off a career-year with the Sixers and now joins a Nets team in midst of a rebuilding process. Given the current state of the franchise, Stauskas will have ample opportunities to prove he was more than just a throw-in trade piece.
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