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NBA: 3 ripple effects of DeMarcus Cousins injury

By James D. Tillman III

(Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
(Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images) /
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(Photo by Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE via Getty Images) /

3. Frontcourt depth

After the Los Angeles Lakers were unable to add Kawhi Leonard during free agency, they did make a few notable moves, one of which was signing DeMarcus Cousins. On paper, it was a win-win for both sides.

From the Lakers’ perspective, Cousins, along with Anthony Davis, would help create one of the most formidable frontcourt tandems in the NBA and at a low price. Meanwhile, Cousins wanted to play for a contender and prove that he could still be a productive player in the process.

In light of this recent news though, that isn’t going to happen. Since AD has been vocal about not wanting to play at the 5, the Lakers are somewhat limited in their options.

One solution would be to start JaVale McGee at the 5, being that he is the only other true center on the roster besides Cousins. On the positive side, McGee posted a career high in scoring with 12 points per contest and his 7.5 boards per outing was the third-best average of his career.

The question here is whether he can be as effective if he has to play 30-35 minutes per night.

If the Lakers have any doubts about that, they could also seek out potential replacements. It is being reported that the Lakers may be interested in bringing back Dwight Howard. True, he played in just nine games for the Washington Wizards last season.

However, DH-12 did put up respectable numbers in 2017-18 as a member of the Charlotte Hornets. In 81 appearances (all starts), he averaged 16.6 points and 12.5 rebounds on 55 percent shooting from the floor.

Another name that has been recently associated with the Lakers is Joakim Noah.

Noah is a former Defensive Player of the Year and although his tenure with the New York Knicks was rather forgettable (53 games over two seasons), he did have a bounce-back year with the Memphis Grizzlies last season.

In 42 games, he averaged 7.1 points per contest — his highest scoring output since the 2014-15 campaign. That, and the fact that Noah is still capable of being a serviceable defender, may be enough for the Lakers to take a chance on him.