Drummond, Cousins Look To Take Next Step After FIBA Experience
Guest Article by Sam HolbeinFour years ago, much was made about the fact that nearly every player on the 2010 FIBA World Cup team wound up doing big things that fall in the NBA. Many agreed that the extra work against world-class talent helped players take that next step. Two very talented big men in the NBA are hoping that the same will hold true in 2014. DeMarcus Cousins and Andre Drummond are two of the most talented young centers in the game, and they are getting valuable experience this summer.
Talent in the NBA is abundant, but these two still stand out in a crowd. They are both physically gifted in ways that few basketball players in the world are. Both were highly regarded out of high school and college, but they came with some red flags. Discipline has always been an issue, and maturity has been questioned at times as well. Cousins is the older of the two, and right now, he is more refined. That has led to more significant minutes in the FIBA World Cup so far. It is very likely that the United States will count on him quite a bit if they face Spain in the championship game. The Spaniards have a lot of size to throw at Team USA, but Cousins is as big and as talented as any of them.
People in fantasy basketball are more than pleased with Cousins’ output at this time. He is someone who is more highly regarded when just looking at his statistics. There has been a lot of losing in Sacramento, and some of the blame has been put on Cousins’ lack of leadership qualities. Now 24 and around a bunch of other talented players, perhaps he can step things up for the Kings in 2014-2015.
As for Drummond, he seems to briefly show flashes of brilliance at times. He is one of the most physically gifted NBA players in the game, but he still needs to refine his game. He has no jumpshot to speak of, and his free-throw shooting is atrocious. As long as he stays within himself, he is worth going after in fantasy basketball because he is a double-double machine.
Drummond might not be playing as much in the World Cup, but he is still practicing with some of the best in the world. With Stan Van Gundy now the head coach in Detroit, it is time for Drummond to take things up another level. His hard work this summer could make him an All-Star sooner rather than later in the Eastern Conference.
Labels: Andre Drummond, DeMarcus Cousins, Detroit Pistons, FIBA World Cup, Sacramento Kings
posted by David Friedman @ 9:52 PM
1 Comments:
I can see how the extra playing and playing for your country could help a player. But, the competition the usa faces is much weaker than any nba team, save perhaps Spain. And going from being an nba starter to playing much less in only a 40 min game, it could very well be hard to get in much of a rhythm for most of the guys.
Cousins/Drummond are both young guys in losing situations. Hard to see them both not improving, but I seriously doubt this fiba experience will benefit them much, but I guess it couldn't hurt. Love is better, had much better teammates, and is older, and the wolves still stunk. It's tough for most young guys are very good to be able to improve their losing teams without help coming in. Lebron was much better than them at a young age, but the cavs also built around him much better and much quicker.
The world has caught up to the usa in basketball, but it's still ridiculous for the usa to ever lose, even in these 1-game series. I still don't understand why we have to follow some of these bogus international rules.
Lebron and several other guys have 2 bronzes from 2004 olympics, a team led by Duncan/Iverson, and 2006 fiba, so anything's possible.
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