The Los Angeles Lakers should be elite and a big reason will be the duo of Davis and Cousins. The pair of bigs played together in New Orleans (2017-18) They had terrific chemistry alongside Rajon Rondo as well.
Davis is the big man in the game, plain and simple. He is a six-time All-Star and a five-time All-NBA selection. He can simply do it all. Last year, he averaged 25.9 points, 12 rebounds, and 3.9 assists. On defense? He is great as I mentioned before. He can fill up the stat sheet on that end as good as anybody as well. Davis averaged 2.4 blocks and 1.6 steals.
Before Cousins suffered the achilles injury, which sidelined him for most of last season, he was arguably the best center in league. He is a four-time All-Star, and a two-time All-NBA Second Team selection. In his final healthy season in 2018 alongside Davis, he averaged 25.2 points, 12.9 rebounds, and 5.4 assists. Cousins was flat out dominant. Unfortunately he didn’t look the same, as expected in his first year back. He was still a presence. The big man averaged 16.3 points, 8.2 rebounds, and 3.6 assists in only 26 minutes.
The Lakers don’t need Cousins to be a hero. If he can play similarly to how he did during the regular season last year, that will be enough. It’s reasonable to expect Cousins to produce at least at that level.
He is too gifted to not do so. He is also only 28-years-old. If he comes into the season in shape, the league will be in trouble. On paper, there hasn’t been many duos like this in league history. Two big men who can do it all, alongside James and Kyle Kuzma is a nightmare for the rest of the league.
If the pair of bigs can stay healthy, the Los Angeles Lakers will win the title this year.