re: SI Top 100 NBA Players Released (Boogie #23, Jrue #60)

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Those expecting Cousins (27 PPG, 11 RPG, 4.6 APG) to finally turn over a new leaf once he was set free from the Kings’ dysfunction are still holding their collective breath seven months later. The mercurial center had an unforgettable season given his awkward and unprecedented All-Star Weekend trade, but his arrival in New Orleans has yet to deliver a reputation revision. Instead, Cousins spent the stretch run to another lottery trip slowly gelling with Anthony Davis, serving a technical foul-related suspension, and posing plenty of lineup and stylistic questions for his new coaching staff. Firmly entrenched as the most prolific stat-stuffing center since Shaquille O’Neal, Cousins’s impact continues to be undermined by his emotional outbursts, turnover problems, foul trouble and inattentive stretches on defense.

Cousins’s scoring explosions and highlight plays go viral with ease, and his deep portfolio of skills—ball-handling, post moves, three-point range, and much more—is unmatched at his position. But the three-time All-Star is entering his eighth season having made little substantive progress on two key questions: “Does he make his teammates better?” and “Is he really trustworthy?” In fact, last season might have represented a step back on those fronts given the modest package the Pelicans had to surrender to acquire him and his so-so performance after the trade. Summer reports that Cousins has committed to improving his conditioning are promising, and his pairing with Davis will no doubt look better in November than it did in March. However, there’s no guarantee that Cousins, who is an unrestricted free agent next summer, lasts in New Orleans through the trade deadline, especially if the fit questions persist. — BG

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