Did the Pelicans Actually Improve After DeMarcus Cousins' Injury? Revisiting the Major What-If

Former Pelicans center DeMarcus Cousins recently asserted the team didn't get better after he tore his Achilles during the 2017-18 season.

It's an understandable position. Cousins was playing some of the best basketball of his career alongside Anthony Davis, and the injury ended one of the most fascinating experiments in franchise history before it reached the postseason.

But was he right?

The fairest answer requires separating what the Pelicans might have become from what they actually were.

The Numbers Favor the Pelicans

New Orleans was 27-21 with Cousins, tied for the ninth-best record in the NBA when he was injured. Without him, the Pelicans finished the regular season 21-13. Their winning percentage increased from .563 to .618.

The improvement went beyond the standings.

Before Cousins was injured, New Orleans ranked 14th in net rating and 22nd defensively. Over the final 34 games, the Pelicans climbed to 10th in net rating and sixth in defense. Their offensive efficiency slipped only slightly, while they actually scored more due to a pace that increased from 100.48 possessions per 48 minutes to 102.89.

The Pelicans didn't replace Cousins' individual dominance. They changed how they played.

Davis moved to center, Nikola Mirotic arrived before the trade deadline, and Jrue Holiday assumed a larger offensive role. New Orleans became faster, more versatile, and considerably better defensively. The offense remained productive enough for those defensive gains to matter.

Those numbers support a clear conclusion: The Pelicans became a better regular-season team after Cousins was injured.

The argument becomes less decisive when the quality of competition is considered.

With Cousins, New Orleans went 12-12 against teams that eventually reached the playoffs. Without him, it went 8-11. Much of the Pelicans' success against playoff competition came against the Eastern Conference.

The Pelicans went 6-9 against Western Conference playoff teams with Cousins and 4-8 without him during the regular season. Without Cousins, the Pelicans went 4-3 against Eastern Conference playoff teams.

That context weakens any argument that the post-injury Pelicans made some enormous competitive leap. They were more efficient and won more frequently, but they hadn't suddenly become dominant against the West's best teams.

Would Cousins Have Changed the Playoffs?

The most useful comparison may be what happened against the Pelicans' eventual postseason opponents.

With Cousins, New Orleans went 2-1 against Portland and 0-3 against Golden State. In the three losses to the Warriors, the Pelicans were beaten by an average of 11 points.

Without him, including the playoffs, the Pelicans went 4-1 against Portland and 2-4 against Golden State. They swept the Trail Blazers in the first round before losing to the Warriors in five games.

There's not much evidence that a healthy Cousins would have changed either result. The Pelicans had already shown they could beat Portland with him and probably still would have won that series. Golden State was a much larger obstacle, and Cousins hadn't solved that matchup during the regular season.

That doesn't mean he couldn't have provided some help.

A healthy Cousins would have given New Orleans another elite scorer, rebounder, and passer when Golden State forced the Pelicans out of their preferred actions. His presence may have raised their theoretical ceiling, particularly in a long playoff series.

But that possibility should not replace the evidence.

The Pelicans won at a higher rate without Cousins. Their net rating improved. Their defense made a substantial jump while their offense declined only slightly. They played faster and produced the franchise's best postseason run since adopting the Pelicans name.

Cousins' argument doesn't hold up statistically. In several measurable ways, New Orleans did get better after his injury.

What didn't clearly improve was its postseason ceiling. The Pelicans still appeared good enough to beat Portland and not good enough to eliminate the defending and eventual champions from Golden State.

That's what makes the injury so frustrating. Cousins was one of the most gifted offensive centers the NBA has seen, and his partnership with Davis never received a complete test. The injury changed Cousins' career, and Davis' eventual departure ended the experiment before it could be revisited.

The 2017-18 Pelicans became better without Cousins. Whether they eventually could have become greater with him remains one of the franchise's enduring what-ifs.

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