Golden State Warriors: Assessing How They Use Boogie Cousins

The Golden State Warriors, having added DeMarcus Cousins, find themselves with a good problem to have — let’s take a look at how they might use him.

The Golden State Warriors keep having the most convenient strategic predicaments — and the type of “problem” other teams frankly, would love to have.

Regardless of when Demarcus Cousins’ first game as a Warrior takes place, Steve Kerr will certainly have to juggle his rotation pieces to find the best fit for Cousins’ strengths.

There seems to be a consensus that the Death Lineup, famously made up of the Hamptons’ 5 — Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Kevin Durant, Andre Iguodala, and Draymond Green, will be stalled by the relatively slow-moving Cousins.

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Cousins, while athletic, isn’t your jumpy switch-friendly center. He is not Jordan Bell or Kevon Looney, and thus, one would think Cousins’ insertion doesn’t make very much strategic sense.

Yet, he is still considered by many to be the one of the best at the position, and if it weren’t for his Achilles injury late last year, there are those who believe he is the best center in the league.

His combination of floor-spacing shooting, toughness in the paint, and pin-point passing make him an offensive threat that is difficult to withstand in isolation, let alone with the Warrior’s shooting and playmaking surrounding him.

In order to figure out where Cousins’ fits best in Golden State’s lineup, it is important to consider what the Warriors were lacking last season. And, what they lost this offseason.

A dirty little secret of last year’s Warriors team was the lack of shooting depth, hence the signing of Jonas Jerebko to a Veteran Minimum Deal. Nick Young did not produce from deep the way the Warriors were hoping, and Patrick McCaw took a few steps back in his development.

Andre Iguodala somehow became allergic to shooting until the postseason, and Omri Casspi for whatever reason insisted on passing and cutting rather than shooting to the sky like he did while playing for the Kings.

And on top of all that, David West is most likely retired, and the Warriors will be missing his offensive facilitation and toughness

Cousins has the potential to make up for all these lacks and losses. If he comes back and is even two-thirds of the player he was pre-injury, he will be able to space the floor in such a way that will give more shots to Curry, Thompson, and Durant

And he will surely feast on unfortunate switches and get his own shots.

Cousins will certainly be the starter, and perhaps at times, the finisher, once he is healthy. But, this doesn’t mean that he won’t have a productive role on the second squad.

The second squad rotation that Steve Kerr has enjoyed the luxury of utilizing was a bit lackluster last year. And because of that, he was forced to play Curry and Durant in minutes that he otherwise wouldn’t have (especially in the playoffs).

Now, imagine a second squad headlined by Cousins re-entry into games after leaving halfway through the first quarter. All of the sudden, not only does the overwhelming offensive threat never cease, but the Warriors force different looks on their opponents throughout the game.

As a focal point in the second squad, Cousins will get the looks and playmaking opportunities that will surely reassure skeptics of his abilities post-injury, and furthermore, make the most of an opportunity of playing on a team that has the potential to consistently dominate a game.

It is very possible that this is the recipe that Steve Kerr already has in store for Cousins and the Warriors.

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One of the benefits of having that luxury is that Kerr can be more comfortable lining up Curry and Durant’s playing time rather than staggering it like he did late last season. Additionally, by giving Cousins playing time in the middle of the year when he is due back, the other stars of the cast will be able to rest themselves for the playoffs a bit more than they did last year.

And with how challenging the Western Conference playoffs look to be, this rest will be key.

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