DeMarcus Cousins says he “was very pissed” when the NBA eliminated the center position from its All-Star ballots in 2012, finding the move “disrespectful.”
Cousins, 28, now feels that “the respect of the big man is coming back around.”
The Golden State Warriors certainly feel that Boogie gives them an edge at his position heading into the postseason.
Per The Athletic:
“I was very pissed,” Cousins told The Athletic. “I found it disrespectful. It was kind of at a time when I was really coming into my own, so it made it that much more challenging for me to become an All-Star.”
Cousins eventually nudged his way onto the 2015 All-Star team. He made it again in 2016, 2017 and 2018. His stats became so monstrous they couldn’t be ignored. He’d occupy one of the “frontcourt” spots.
“But it’s a new age now,” a confident Cousins said. “And I believe the respect of the big man is coming back around.”
A ton of the younger bigs are playmakers. They handle up top. The offense flows through them. Jokic is averaging 7.4 assists this season. Cousins averaged 5.4 last season. At the start of this decade, [Al] Horford led all centers at 3.5 assists per game.
“The (center) skill level has increased a lot since five years ago,” Cousins said. “The game has obviously evolved from not just being under-the-basket players, but spreading out. There’s an evolution to the title ‘big man.’ It evolved quickly.
“It’s crazy how talented these guys are coming in now. There was a time where young bigs would come in and they’d have the title of, like: ‘Raw.’ That’s a rarity now. You got guys like Deandre Ayton, comes in and he’s producing right away at a high level. List goes on. Karl-Anthony Towns comes in and was ready. Right away.”
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