Many veterans of the NBA have returned this season, such as Thomas Jr., Stephenson and Cousins, who have all received NBA contracts and returned to the NBA. These players are given the opportunity to prove themselves again, but unfortunately not everyone can grasp it. From the current situation, Cousins is the one with the best development, and he has proved himself again in the Bucks, staging three consecutive explosions. Thomas Jr., on the other hand, sank in the Lakers and didn't play well. Cousins is likely to get the Bucks' guaranteed contract to finish the season. And Thomas Jr. is likely to be abandoned by the Lakers, and now that the Lakers have signed Collison, Thomas Jr. may be leaving after his 10-day short contract expires.
Cousins and Thomas Jr. have a similar fate, both of whom were former All-Star players, but due to injuries and other reasons, their status plummeted and they began to wander around, not only without a big contract, but also without a basic salary. From all-star to no ball to play, both of them took only a short time. Now that NBA teams need to be reinforced, they are finally getting another chance to prove themselves and get back in this league. However, Cousins is playing better and better, Thomas Jr. is playing worse and worse, Cousins is likely to stay in the league, and Thomas Jr. will see him again.
The Bucks are short of interior personnel this season, Lopez is injured, and the Bucks have to sign Cousins. Cousins surprised the Bucks, and as of press time, Cousins played 10 games for the Bucks, averaging 8.5 points, 5.6 boards and 1.6 assists per game. In the past three games, Cousins has exploded in succession, scoring 52 points and 18 boards in three games, averaging 17.3 points, 17.3 points, 9.3 boards, 2.3 assists, 2 breaks and 1 cap. With the Bucks absent from multiple main players, Cousins got a starting chance, while Cousins took the opportunity well to prove himself in these three games.
Against the Cavaliers, Cousins scored 12 points, 12 boards and 5 steals, against the Rockets and 18 points and 8 boards, and against the Lone Rangers, he got 22 points, 8 boards and 4 assists. In the three games he started, the Bucks also had a record of 2 wins and 1 loss. And in all three games, Cousins didn't play more than 30 minutes. Playing 20 minutes a game and then getting the quasi-doubles, Cousins today undoubtedly has oil. The Bucks were able to sign Cousins on a temporary contract, and it was really worth it. And from the current situation, the Bucks should keep Cousins and give him a long-term contract, at least until this season! Even if the Bucks don't want it, I believe many teams will rush to sign Cousins.
However, Thomas Jr. was not so lucky, he joined the Lakers, and the result was getting worse and worse. Thomas Jr. played 4 games for the Lakers, and although he scored 19 points in the first game, he didn't play well in the back, shooting 3 and 2 points in the past two games, 1 of 11 and 1 of 5. Thomas Jr. was also once the Lakers starter, but then became a substitute. Although he also has more than 20 minutes of playing time, Thomas Jr.'s statistics are undoubtedly far inferior to Cousins'. More importantly, he has not won a game since joining the Lakers, and has won four consecutive losses. Although the Lakers' four-game losing streak is not entirely the reason for Thomas Jr., the team can't win the ball, he doesn't play well, and the possibility of being abandoned is the greatest.
It's a shame that Cousins is erupting, and Thomas Jr. is sinking. This is probably the difference between Alphabet Brother and James! Alphabet Brother is still young, and the Bucks have created a lineup for him that is both offensive and defensive. When the alphabet brother is on the field, their defense is better, and when the alphabet brother is not on the court, their defense will not be much worse. This can well cover up the problem of Cousins' poor defense, and the Bucks' guard is Holliday, who is not only good at defense, but also willing to pass the ball, and Cousins himself has the ability, so he can burst. On the contrary, the Lakers are now very chaotic, James is old, it is impossible to do a good job of defense and offense at the same time, the Lakers originally need defensive 3D players, but Thomas Jr. is a player who needs the ball and does not have defense, so Thomas Jr. will be depressed.