Hoops Habit
Fansided

NBA Player Power Rankings: The Top 20 Players Of 2016-17

By Maxwell Ogden

Feb 18, 2017; New Orleans, LA, USA; Western Conference guard Russell Westbrook of the Oklahoma City Thunder (0) and Western Conference guard James Harden of the Houston Rockets (13) during the NBA All-Star Practice at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 18, 2017; New Orleans, LA, USA; Western Conference guard Russell Westbrook of the Oklahoma City Thunder (0) and Western Conference guard James Harden of the Houston Rockets (13) during the NBA All-Star Practice at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
5 of 22
Next
Apr 4, 2017; New Orleans, LA, USA; New Orleans Pelicans forward DeMarcus Cousins (0) reacts prior to tip off against the Denver Nuggets in the first quarter at the Smoothie King Center. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 4, 2017; New Orleans, LA, USA; New Orleans Pelicans forward DeMarcus Cousins (0) reacts prior to tip off against the Denver Nuggets in the first quarter at the Smoothie King Center. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports /

18. DeMarcus Cousins, New Orleans Pelicans

Position: Center
Age: 26 (8/13/1990)
Experience: 7th Season
2016-17 Slash Line: .452/.361/.772
2016-17 Season Averages: 34.2 MPG, 27.0 PPG, 11.0 RPG, 4.6 APG, 2.1 ORPG, 1.4 SPG, 1.3 BPG, 1.8 3PM

DeMarcus Cousins may be ranked lower than you expected him to be, but he’s still one of the Top 20 players in the NBA. Failing to make the postseason for a seventh consecutive season hurts, but he and Anthony Davis are already showing signs of contender-level chemistry.

If Cousins comes back with another outstanding season in 2016-17, the New Orleans Pelicans should be one of the better teams in the Western Conference.

One look at Cousins’ statistics will tell the story of why he’s one of the Top 20 players in the NBA. In 2016-17, Boogie became the first player to average at least 27.0 points, 11.0 rebounds, 4.0 assists, 1.0 block, and 1.0 steal per game since Chris Webber in 2000-01.

Prior to Webber, it hadn’t been done since Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Bob McAdoo achieved those statistical minimums in 1975-76.

What sets Cousins apart is that he’s the only one of those players who also averaged at least 1.0 3-point field goal made per game. Abdul-Jabbar and McAdoo achieved the feat before the 3-point shot existed, of course, but Cousins remains the only player to do so in league history.

One can’t help but wonder what kind of sensational achievements Cousins could amass if he were to appear in the postseason.