Three reasons the DeMarcus Cousins-Anthony Davis pairing won’t work in New Orleans
By Adam McGee
1. Creating space
Building further upon the idea of how this move will influence the Pelicans’ style of play, the success or failure of Cousins in New Orleans will likely hinge on how New Orleans manages to adapt to playing what’s effectively a two center frontcourt in the small-ball era.
Although Davis has often shown a reluctance to play at center over power forward, there can be little debate that, much like Cousins, he has the perfect body type and skill set to play as a modern NBA center. What a team looks like when you pair two players in that mold together is a different question, though.
Defensively, there could certainly be positives in terms of the rim protection now on offer to the Pelicans, even if smaller power forwards will frequently create uncomfortable mismatches. Still, the problem of fitting the two together looks likely to be amplified greatest on offense.
As both Cousins and Davis offer a lethal scoring threat in close proximity to the basket, it’s clear that they will have to work out a rhythm between them that allows a rotation of opportunities for low-post touches. To do that, both players will need to step out and stretch the floor.
The argument that has been made by many on that subject is that Cousins and Davis have at least both shown some element of range, as competent mid-range shooters, and at least developing 3-point shooters. Unfortunately there’s a big difference between having a center who can stretch out the opposing team by knocking down 30-35 percent of their attempts from deep, than having a power forward who can only manage such a low percentage.
The role of the power forward has evolved to the point where it’s almost a given that someone playing the four spot will stretch the floor, but with neither Cousins or Davis proficient enough to demand that attention just yet, the opposing gameplan for matching up with the Pelicans already seems clear.
Cousins and Davis are going to be confronted with coaches and defenses who’ll happily pack the paint on a nightly basis. Before moving willing shooters like Evans, Galloway and Hield, the Pelicans were only 12th in the NBA in terms of 3-point volume, and 17th in terms of 3-point percentage.
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The Pelicans are going to be dared to shoot from distance, and at present it doesn’t seem like they’ll have the necessary tools to make opponents pay.