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Demarcus "Boogie" Cousins
Demarcus "Boogie" Cousins
Our Rookie Demarcus Cousins has made the All NBA Rookie Team with an average of 14.1 ppg 8.60 rpg 2.5 apg. But Cousins shot 430% this season which is wee bit horrible for a bigman. A lot of contested shots and errant shots can be attributed. His defensive stats are 1.0 spg and 0.8 bpg in which again the figures for blocks per game is horrible despite his size.
It has not been a smooth transition to professional from a year in college. This past season, Cousins had several verbal exchange with head coach Paul Westphal, altercations with teammates and several antics on the court that lead to suspension.
Cousins is still a work in progress and will need a lot of work to fulfill his potential. The following I look forward to this summer and next season.
1. Maturity - Both on and off the court. Frustrations mount when the calls are against him or the calls he expects does not favor him. For off the court, no more tantrums. Cousins needs to channel frustration to motivation.
2. Shot selection - Cousins has a gifted footwork and a promising game on either the post up position and the triple threat position. On his post game, he has that "feel mode" instance where Cousins uses his pivot ankle, the back of the shoulders and lower body to know the position of the defender. Now Cousins needs to know what kind of shot to take on scenarios such as:
a. Pivot turn = Obviously the best shot after sliding off the defender is the Power-Glass move that almost guarantees a foul or an And-1.
b. Back Down Push / Post Up Push = Cousins has strength but learning on how to apply strength against the different weight and stances of the defending man is the one he needs to figure out. Some defenders are heavy and can not fall unless flops or being shoved violently with such force. There are less heavy forwards that can be pushed but not shoved down. For Cousins to be effective on the Back Down Push / Post Up Push, he will need to assess in quick real time on the proportion of the defending man and apply the ample force to move closer to the basket. This is where the hook shot resulting from either a pivot head fake / pivot move or power pound dribble will be most effective. Or in such cases, Cousins can utilize the several pivot moves mentioned into either a bank shot or Slipper Lay Up for a higher percentage shot. This past season, Cousins lowers his shoulder and pushes violently that often warrants an automatic offensive foul. Most of the time, it is the wrong shot selection on the event of posting up that has caused his in game shooting percentage to drop.
c. Triple Threat = One of the most surprising set of skills I have seen in Cousins. Cousins has that triple threat game of fronting and squaring up the defender on the perimeter. Cousins loves to use the head fake and ball fake as a prequel to the Stride Step, Nibble Shake Move consisting of a Pivot Spin or a Feint Spin. Moreover when Cousins reverts to the triple threat mode, he takes very low percentage and contested shot. Having the ability to perform moves during a triple threat is an advantage for a player but it does negate the inside game of Cousins that uses both power and deceptive finesse via footwork and semi-contorsion that Cousins already has. Also the triple threat mode that Cousins reverts to lacks the third facet: The Actual Pass on which is directed to either a cutting teammate or a wide open teammate. Cousins needs to balance his offensive presence on the floor depending on which is (1) Advantageous to the team (2) Within the Offensive flow of the team.
d. On the High Court = Cousins shot ill-advised threes when having to be the recipient of the offense's sway perimeter passing. Cousins does not need to shoot the three. The best course of action is to swing the ball either inside into the 10-15 perimeter range and move in to the basket for play upon getting the ball back OR swing the ball to the arc to a designated shooter.
3. Better Conditioning = Shed weight. Build more Upper Body Strength. This will be beneficial not only to his movement, but also stamina.
4. Team Concept = Playing within the team concept on both offense and defense. Given the Kings' limited offense sets, Cousins does deviate from the simple instruction and often calls for the ball in the wrong timing and when Cousins does not get the ball, he just stands there inactive that allows the defender to perform weakside help. If Cousins feels that the offense is not going through him, it gets worse. Cousins would hover in the perimeter to take ill advise shots or drive recklessly; barreling into a defender for a shot. Cousins' mobility does prove useful when he gets into the flow of the simple offense. Cousins does sets screens but most of the time does step back. I look for him to move towards the basket. His hand coordination guarantees a catch from either a lob pass or a bounce pass. When he does step back, he has the ability of making the perimeter shot but given his size and rebounding instincts, moving towards the basket can prove useful by either scoring as the original plan goes or garner the rebound for second chances.
5. Defense - Also, play within the team concept. Cousins' defensive rebounding has been solid. The foul troubles from more experienced offensive players knows how to draw fouls and it will happen time and time again. Only this time, I do hope Cousins maintains his composure and do not argue with the referees. Weakside defense also needs work. Cousins needs to converge inside and jump to go for the block instead of just standing and raising his hands.
Cousins and the Kings still needs a lot of work to do.
Demarcus "Boogie" Cousins
Our Rookie Demarcus Cousins has made the All NBA Rookie Team with an average of 14.1 ppg 8.60 rpg 2.5 apg. But Cousins shot 430% this season which is wee bit horrible for a bigman. A lot of contested shots and errant shots can be attributed. His defensive stats are 1.0 spg and 0.8 bpg in which again the figures for blocks per game is horrible despite his size.
It has not been a smooth transition to professional from a year in college. This past season, Cousins had several verbal exchange with head coach Paul Westphal, altercations with teammates and several antics on the court that lead to suspension.
Cousins is still a work in progress and will need a lot of work to fulfill his potential. The following I look forward to this summer and next season.
1. Maturity - Both on and off the court. Frustrations mount when the calls are against him or the calls he expects does not favor him. For off the court, no more tantrums. Cousins needs to channel frustration to motivation.
2. Shot selection - Cousins has a gifted footwork and a promising game on either the post up position and the triple threat position. On his post game, he has that "feel mode" instance where Cousins uses his pivot ankle, the back of the shoulders and lower body to know the position of the defender. Now Cousins needs to know what kind of shot to take on scenarios such as:
a. Pivot turn = Obviously the best shot after sliding off the defender is the Power-Glass move that almost guarantees a foul or an And-1.
b. Back Down Push / Post Up Push = Cousins has strength but learning on how to apply strength against the different weight and stances of the defending man is the one he needs to figure out. Some defenders are heavy and can not fall unless flops or being shoved violently with such force. There are less heavy forwards that can be pushed but not shoved down. For Cousins to be effective on the Back Down Push / Post Up Push, he will need to assess in quick real time on the proportion of the defending man and apply the ample force to move closer to the basket. This is where the hook shot resulting from either a pivot head fake / pivot move or power pound dribble will be most effective. Or in such cases, Cousins can utilize the several pivot moves mentioned into either a bank shot or Slipper Lay Up for a higher percentage shot. This past season, Cousins lowers his shoulder and pushes violently that often warrants an automatic offensive foul. Most of the time, it is the wrong shot selection on the event of posting up that has caused his in game shooting percentage to drop.
c. Triple Threat = One of the most surprising set of skills I have seen in Cousins. Cousins has that triple threat game of fronting and squaring up the defender on the perimeter. Cousins loves to use the head fake and ball fake as a prequel to the Stride Step, Nibble Shake Move consisting of a Pivot Spin or a Feint Spin. Moreover when Cousins reverts to the triple threat mode, he takes very low percentage and contested shot. Having the ability to perform moves during a triple threat is an advantage for a player but it does negate the inside game of Cousins that uses both power and deceptive finesse via footwork and semi-contorsion that Cousins already has. Also the triple threat mode that Cousins reverts to lacks the third facet: The Actual Pass on which is directed to either a cutting teammate or a wide open teammate. Cousins needs to balance his offensive presence on the floor depending on which is (1) Advantageous to the team (2) Within the Offensive flow of the team.
d. On the High Court = Cousins shot ill-advised threes when having to be the recipient of the offense's sway perimeter passing. Cousins does not need to shoot the three. The best course of action is to swing the ball either inside into the 10-15 perimeter range and move in to the basket for play upon getting the ball back OR swing the ball to the arc to a designated shooter.
3. Better Conditioning = Shed weight. Build more Upper Body Strength. This will be beneficial not only to his movement, but also stamina.
4. Team Concept = Playing within the team concept on both offense and defense. Given the Kings' limited offense sets, Cousins does deviate from the simple instruction and often calls for the ball in the wrong timing and when Cousins does not get the ball, he just stands there inactive that allows the defender to perform weakside help. If Cousins feels that the offense is not going through him, it gets worse. Cousins would hover in the perimeter to take ill advise shots or drive recklessly; barreling into a defender for a shot. Cousins' mobility does prove useful when he gets into the flow of the simple offense. Cousins does sets screens but most of the time does step back. I look for him to move towards the basket. His hand coordination guarantees a catch from either a lob pass or a bounce pass. When he does step back, he has the ability of making the perimeter shot but given his size and rebounding instincts, moving towards the basket can prove useful by either scoring as the original plan goes or garner the rebound for second chances.
5. Defense - Also, play within the team concept. Cousins' defensive rebounding has been solid. The foul troubles from more experienced offensive players knows how to draw fouls and it will happen time and time again. Only this time, I do hope Cousins maintains his composure and do not argue with the referees. Weakside defense also needs work. Cousins needs to converge inside and jump to go for the block instead of just standing and raising his hands.
Cousins and the Kings still needs a lot of work to do.
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