Portland Trail Blazers: 5 former stars who could push them over the hump

Stars that could push Trail Blazers over the hump: DeMarcus Cousins

Lost somewhere within his recent battle with injury luck, is the fact that DeMarcus Cousins only recently turned 30-years-old. It’s been now fifteen months since the former 4-time All-Star played a game of consequence, thinking back to his NBA Finals appearances with the Warriors.

In those brief stretches, Cousins had moments where he looked the part of the impact player from Sacramento. In Game Two, he had a Nurkic-like box score of 11 points, 10 rebounds, six assists, and two blocks in 28 minutes, helping tie the series up.

His days as a gamebreaking, All-NBA star are likely done and away with. But as a part-time reserve behind Nurkic, he could be a stabilizing force.

And here’s why there’s reason for optimism: it’s difficult to imagine Cousins’ value ever being this low. After suffering a torn ACL in a pick-up game last summer, his one-year run in Los Angeles went without a single game played. He’s an unrestricted free agent who’s played in just 78 of a possible 164 games over the last two seasons.

We’ve seen bigs in the past come to Portland and have prove-it seasons, and set themselves up well contractually in the ensuing season. And at this point in his career, if I’m in Cousins’ shoes, the search would be for a role to prove myself and stay healthy, as opposed to just championship contention.

In his heyday, Cousins was among the game’s most fearsome pick-and-roll roll men, clocking top-10 finishes in roll man points scored, at about almost a point per possession in 2015-16 and 2016-17.

Pairing him with perhaps the game’s best pick-and-roll scorer (and elite passer) in Lillard would without question allow him a chance to rekindle that flame.

There’s causes for concern. The “ball-dominant” narrative — which I’d argue is unfair, given the help he had in Sacramento — met its roadblock in Golden State. Cousins got the ball out quickly, shooting nearly 70 percent of his shots with no dribbles.

That’s great; Portland doesn’t need another dribbler. But he shot just 3-of-16 in catch-and-shoot situations, even when granted the gravity of Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson. And he was just 29-of-100 in the regular season.

That alone is enough to draw a red flag, especially for a player who could see a further sap in athleticism. But if the Portland Trail Blazers have to prepare for the potential loss of Hassan Whiteside, finding a way to plug in a capable “5” is key. And few are as tried and true, and have as much contract intrigue than Cousins does. And just like Millsap, he’s been on Portland’s radar. A sign-and-trade deal was nixed, since he and Nurkic shared the same agent.