NBA Draft Prospects: DeMarcus Cousins, Kentucky

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Stats: 15.1 ppg, 9.8 rpg (4.1 off.), 1.8 bpg, 23.5 mpg

Listed Size: 6'11", 292 lbs, 19 yrs old


About Him: Cousins is an interesting prospect. In terms of talent alone, Cousins may be the best prospect in this draft. His physical tools are fantastic. He's nearly 6'11" in shoes with a 7'5 3/4", which means that his standing reach is 9'5", the best in this draft. He's got very quick feet and is impressively nimble for a man of his stature (292 lb), although his leaping ability and explosiveness could stand to be improved.

Cousins was nothing short of a monster in the paint this past season. He averaged 15.1 ppg and 9.8 rpg, which becomes all the more impressive when you consider he did it in just over 23 mpg. Cousins' size and strength allowed him to get position wherever and whenever he pleased, whether it was a seal on a post up or battling for rebounding position. He also has fantastic hands, catching anything thrown his way.

Once he gets the ball in the paint, he is really difficult to stop. He has quick feet and great footwork (how many times did he spin off a defender for a dunk during his freshman season?), a couple of nice post moves, great touch around the rim, and a real aggressiveness when going at the rim. He's coordinated and has excellent body control as well. When you consider that he has an above average perimeter game for someone his size, its pretty easy to see why, from a physical and talent standpoint, Cousins is such an impressive prospect.

Defensively, he blocked some shots, but he doesn't project as a guy that will make a lot of all-defensive teams. He's not all that quick laterally and is still working on his fundamentals.

The problem is that there are so many red flags with Cousins. For starters, he could stand to get into better shape. I understand that he was sharing a front court with two other first round picks, but he still played just over 23 mpg and often looked quite winded. To his credit, he did get into better shape for the combine, but he still checked in at 292 lb, 20 pounds more than he was listed at during the season.

But that is far from the only concern that teams will have about Cousins. The biggest red flag on Cousins is his immaturity. As talented as Cousins is, there will always be questions about whether or not Cousins has the intangibles that will allow him to develop his talent. His work ethic has been questions, he pouts on the floor, he argues with the coaching staff, and there were times when he looked downright uninterested this season.

While I believe that some of those concerns have been a bit overblown, it is something that is going to factor into the decisions that teams at the top of the lottery make.

Comparison:

• Best Case Scenario: DeMarcus Cousins has the tools to be a 20 and 10 players for years in the NBA. Al Jefferson is the comparison I like the most, but I also like the comparison f a less-criminally inclined Zack Randolph.
• Worst Case Scenario: Eddy Curry, Benoit Benjamin, Bryant "Big Country" Reeves, Greg Ostertag. There are a lot.
  

Outlook: DeMarcus Cousins might be the riskiest pick in this draft. He's got the talent to make multiple all-star teams, but will he live up to the hype? Attitude, work ethic, body language, desire. There are so many question marks about this young man. Based on talent alone, I really doubt he drops passed the top five. But I also doubt he lives up to his potential. My guess would be a Derrick Coleman-esque career arc.

Highlights: