Beijing time on December 14th, the NBA preseason Rockets won first and then lost. Unfortunately, they lost to the Bulls and 91 to 104, but in fact it has nothing to do with the Rockets’ starting players. After they led by 6 points in three quarters, basically the fourth quarter was a substitute player, using the bench lineup to deal with opponents.
The most satisfying of these is the performance of the Rockets’ starting center Cousins . The former Lakers center, who weighed 245 pounds, played for more than ten minutes today. In the end, he made 3 of 7 shots, 2 of 4 three-pointers and scored 10 points, 6 rebounds and 2 blocks. He played the first half and part of the third quarter, and basically didn't play afterwards.
And in the first quarter of the game, Cousins scored 8 points and sent two blocks. His performance was very eye-catching. Both the offensive and defensive ends are exactly what the Rockets need now. The player at position 5 should have played such a core role. This is also very satisfactory to the Rockets. The Rockets hope that Cousins can do this. In the first game of the previous win against the Bulls, Cousins made 5 of 7 shots, scored 14 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals, and 2 blocks on three-pointers. The plus-minus value was as high as 23 points. As a result, after two consecutive games, Cousins has contributed 24 points, 11 rebounds and 4 blocks for the Rockets.
The Rockets signed Cousins with a non-guaranteed minimum salary contract this year. It was because Cousins suffered serious injuries for two consecutive seasons. No team dared to gamble on him. Especially the NBA championship Lakers. Originally, the Lakers had a chance to eat Cousins with a basic salary, but now they would rather leave the position of the third center vacant without leaving Cousins. This is not ruled out. It may become one of the biggest failures in the future.
Because the Rockets are currently short of people, the Rockets directly bet on Cousins. If Cousins plays well, it is absolutely not ruled out that he will be awarded an attractive security contract, and Cousins has now shown He has come out in a good competitive state. As long as he is not affected by injuries, he will be able to play a season in good health and he is likely to counter the Lakers in the next championship process and become the defending James and Davis. An important rival on the road. James and Davis were good friends with Cousins. It would be a shame if a good friend they gave up disrupted the cause of defending the title.
