3 keys for Milwaukee Bucks Christmas matchup against Boston Celtics

Can DeMarcus Cousins have another strong outing for the Milwaukee Bucks?

In one of the bigger surprises of the last few game stretch without their key frontcourt players, the breakout from DeMarcus Cousins as a starter has been fantastic to watch.

He has posted three straight double-digit scoring efforts and that might not even be the most impressive part of his game! Although he has some lapses, it has been his defense that has surprised me the most.

No one is going to confuse Cousins for Rudy Gobert or Draymond Green, but the way he’s played in a more aggressive pick and roll coverage has been great so far. He’s a large body and that makes it hard enough to get around, but he also combines that with solid hands to knock balls loose (he had five steals against the Cleveland Cavaliers!).

He’s also given tremendous energy and effort in his minutes, whether as a starter or reserve, which has reminded me a bit of what the Bucks got from P.J. Tucker last season as a gritty veteran.

If Cousins wants to have a role on the Bucks going forward and I don’t mean only getting his contract guaranteed, but actually playing a real role down the stretch and in a playoff series, he’ll need to start knocking down 3s at a decent clip. He’s under 23 percent through 11 games and opposing defenses simply aren’t guarding him.

If he can get that number closer to what it was last year (around 35 percent), then that’s someone who could provide solid minutes in the right matchup.