10 Former Milwaukee Bucks who would have thrived in their NBA prime

Milwaukee Bucks who would have thrived in their prime – DeMarcus Cousins

Before the Milwaukee Bucks traded for the aforementioned Serge Ibaka, DeMarcus Cousins was their backup center as they awaited Brook Lopez’s return. Cousins, who had previously earned his stripes as arguably the best center in the NBA at one point, had been out of the NBA before the Bucks called. Milwaukee needed a big man and gave Cousins a shot to prove himself.

Cousins’ time with the Bucks was brief, but he was actually not too bad. In 17 games, he put up averages of 9.1 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 1.1 assists per contest. It seemed inevitable that the Bucks would look to keep Cousins around as they waited for Lopez, but they shockingly let him go before his contract would have been guaranteed, which led to the trade for Ibaka later on.

Before an Achilles injury abruptly derailed his career, Cousins was a monster. From 2014-18, he was a five-time All-Star and averaged 25.9 points, 11.9 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 1.5 steals, and 1.5 blocks per game. A player with numbers like that on the Milwaukee Bucks would have made all of the difference in the world. Had it not been for that injury, Cousins could still be dominating today.