The Golden State Warriors signed DeMarcus Cousins to a virtually no-risk, one-year deal in the offseason and through the first 10 games, that bet is paying off handsomely for the defending NBA champions. Cousins made his season debut in the starting lineup on January 18 against the Los Angeles Clippers and he has performed better than expected.
In roughly 23 minutes a game, Cousins is putting up 14.1 points, 6.5 rebounds, 3.6 assists, 1.2 steals and 1.2 blocks per game. He’s 45.5% shooting from the field with a PER (player efficiency rating) of 20.97.
An average starting center who can put up these numbers in 23 minutes a game is immensely valuable in the NBA, but we are not talking about an average center.