“Like Tim Duncan and David Robinson”: 4x All-Star Claims Anthony Davis and His Duo Could Have Been the Greatest in History

Anthony Davis and DeMarcus Cousins didn’t spend all too much time together with the New Orleans Pelicans. But, when they did, the pair dominated opposing frontcourts. Cousins shared his belief that he and AD would be remembered amongst the top big men duos in basketball had injuries not derailed his career.

During an appearance on FanDuel TV’s Run it Back, Lou Williams asked if Boogie thought he and Davis could have been the greatest frontcourt tandem in NBA history. The 34-year-old was quick to downplay that notion after recalling the league’s history of big men, but still believed the short-lived Pelicans duo could have been in the discussion. “That’s tough to say when you got guys like Tim Duncan and David Robinson as teammates and everything they’ve accomplished. But I think we could have been in the conversation,” Cousins said.

While the pair would have needed to achieve much more together to be named alongside the Spurs legends, Cousins’ sentiment does have some merit. Following a blockbuster trade that shipped the longtime Sacramento King to the Big Easy, the Pelicans transformed into a bonafide playoff contender. It was too late for Cousins to help salvage the team’s 2016-17 campaign in just 17 games, but Boogie and The Brow showcased their full potential after an offseason together.

Cousins played arguably the best stretch of his entire career during the first half of his final All-Star season in 2017-18. Even as a second option, the bruising big man was feasting on defenses with averages of 25.5 points and 12.9 rebounds per game. The new NOLA duo had an impressive 28-14 record while sharing the court together prior to DMC’s Achilles tear in January 2018.

That injury would end up being the end of the four-time All-Star’s time in New Orleans, instantly dismantling any momentum the team had built over the course of the season. The sudden close to the duo’s time together is the main reason why it’s so hard to calculate what they could have achieved together. But Cousins still underlined his belief that he and Davis boasted the talent to be the best, even if they didn’t have an opportunity to prove it.

Cousins and Davis didn’t achieve anything despite early dominance

The Pelicans were able to return to the postseason following Cousins’ injury, even managing to knock off the Portland Trail Blazers in the first round in 2018. But outside of a spirited series win spearheaded by Davis and Jrue Holiday, Boogie wasn’t able to accomplish anything of note playing alongside AD.

Bringing Duncan and Robinson into the conversation these two feels almost disrespectful to the Spurs greats in terms of accolades acquired together. Hence why Boogie was hesitant to put any notion of this being true out there. Timmy and ‘The Admiral’ earned two NBA titles together in 1999 and 2003 with Duncan even winning two league MVPs alongside the latter.

Had he avoided the gruesome Achilles tear, Cousins undoubtedly had several more All-Star seasons in the tank at only 27-years-old. New Orleans would have had more time to establish their core around the superstar big men and maybe The Brow even remains with the franchise rather than forcing his way to Los Angeles.