Teams have been exploiting Golden State Warriors center DeMarcus Cousins on defense, knowing fully well that the big man is still working his way back into basketball shape following a devastating Achilles injury from last season.
The former All-Star has struggled with certain match-ups, especially against the Boston Celtics and the Houston Rockets. However, Warriors head coach Steve Kerr believes that the Denver Nuggets are a good match-up for Cousins, per Mark Medina of The Mercury News.
Steve Kerr on DeMarcus Cousins, and how a matchup vs Nuggets is good for him pic.twitter.com/WR7sKwcWRz
— Mark Medina (@MarkG_Medina) March 9, 2019
Cousins, who made six All-Star teams before his injury last year, went toe-to-toe with the Nuggets own All-Star center Nikola Jokic. It was a physical match-up of size and strength as the two banged bodies down low throughout the night.
Cousins scored 13 points on 5-of-11 shooting, and added six rebounds and six assists. Jokic, on the other hand, had a pretty identical line of 16 points, six rebounds, and four assists, while shooting 5-of-10 from the floor.
Cousins and Jokic are almost the same kind of player. Both are very skilled passers for their position. Likewise, they can shoot from the outside if needed. Both, however, operate best on the low post.
On defense, Cousins and Jokic also have slow feet, and are not the best defenders down on the block. Thus, seeing these two go at it for most of the night was a refreshing sight to see, as Kerr alluded to.
The league has been veering away from the kind of center Cousins and Jokic are. Fives who can rim run is the ideal type center in the NBA right now. Moreover, they should be able to move their feet really well so as not to get exploited on defense.
Nonetheless, this shouldn't take away the fact that Cousins, when healthy, and Jokic are two of the best big men in the league. Given that they seem to be a perfect match-up for each other, Cousins might want to face the Nuggets more often.
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