I told you. I’ve BEEN telling you. All DeMarcus Cousins needs is a chance to show his worth, and he will go out and exceed those expectations. Last night against the Dallas Mavericks in a winning effort, Boggie. Balled. Out.
After averaging only 17 minutes per game so far this season, and the Rockets being short-handed without Christian Wood and Victor Oladipo, Houston needed Cousins to play some extended minutes, and he did not disappoint. In 30 minutes of action, Cousins put up 28 points, 17 rebounds, dished out 5 assists, and went 9/15 from the field, and 4/8 from deep. I mean, what more could you want from someone who has been on the bench for the entire season?
Cousins was finally able to show that he can still go, ever after all of his injuries the past few years. After Cousins signed that one-year deal with the Rockets, I knew in my head that he could still produce, but I also knew that it would be a “prove it” contract. Teams don’t want to take chances on players who have had a history of injury, and I totally understand. You don’t want to spend money on a player that will sit on the shelf. There are plenty of players like that right now, so it’s only natural that teams are cautious.
I do wish that some teams, especially the ones that are fighting for a playoff spot, would take a chance on these types of players. Isaiah Thomas obviously comes to my mind as someone who was once a MVP caliber player, and is still sitting at home waiting on a call from a NBA team. I think that Cousins proved last night that he is able to play despite his long injury history, and that players like that are worth taking a chance on. I’m looking forward to seeing if/how the Rockets will use Cousins for the rest of the season. Will they run two bigs with Cousins and Wood? Do they continue to play him off the bench? We’ll just have to wait and see. If you want to watch Cousins’ performance last night, you can do that here.
Round The Game 
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