Last night we previewed the statistical matchup between the Portland Trail Blazers and New Orleans Pelicans, first-round foes in the 2018 NBA Playoffs. But the overall 2017-18 numbers don’t take into account a season-changing event for New Orleans: center DeMarcus Cousins going down with an Achilles injury in late January. Obviously the Pelicans miss the 25.2 points and 12.9 rebounds that Cousins brought to the floor. (Reference for Trail Blazers fans: that’s the statistical equivalent of losing Damian Lillard.) What else might they be missing? How did their production change after Cousins went down?
Gauging the DeMarcus Cousins Injury Effect
