Marc Gasol vs. DeMarcus Cousins

If your put in this situation this fantasy off season hopefully my article will help you decide on who to go with. Both of these players are different in many ways and hopefully I can shine some light on the debate. The breakdown of these two big men should start with their physical attributes. Marc Gasol is a 7' 1" 265 pound center from Spain and DeMarcus Cousins is a 6' 11" 270 pound power forward/center from Kentucky.Their styles of play are different, Gasol is a slightly more physical version of his older brother Pau and Cousins is more of a Paul Millsap type player. 

Cousins is a physical mismatch for anyone and if he could add a bit more speed to his game, could be unstoppable. Cousins averaged 18.1 points, 11 rebounds, 1.2 blocks, 1.5 steals and 1.6 assists this past year. Cousins had some character questions coming out of college and now has 26 technical fouls in 145 career games which may be a factor late in seasons as he will always be a suspension risk in a full 82 game year. Cousins did have an increase in every major statistical category from his rookie season. He shot 44.8% from the field this past year and 70.2% from the free throw line. He decreased his turnover rate and at age 21 looks to take the next step forward in 2013. I have Cousins in my top 40 entering 2013 but he is the one big man that could jump into the top 25 by the end of next April.

Marc Gasol is the more dependable player here but he offers less upside. Gasol would be the right choice if your other keepers are injury risks like Derrick Rose or Kevin Love. Marc averaged 14.6 points, 8.9 rebounds, 3.1 assists, 1.9 blocks and 1 steal per game last season. Gasol had lower production compared to Cousins but he did shoot better from the field hitting 48.2% of field goals and 74.8% from the line. Gasol's biggest advantage was shooting percentages, blocks, and assists over DeMarcus. Gasol is entering his prime at age 27 and will be classified as a proven player coming off a bad year entering 2013.

Cousins was drafted on average a few spots higher than Gasol entering this past season. Gasol finished above Cousins in most fantasy formats last year but they both gave solid production for being 6th round picks. This is some high praise for a couple of young players but they are both well deserving. If I had to choose who to go with I would go with DeMarcus Cousins over Marc Gasol and one of the biggest factors that I didn't discuss above is his position versatility. I am a believer in Cousins and I think if he gets a step quicker he could put up Josh Smith type numbers.



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Alex Wiesner