One thing the Celtics should consider before trying to make a move to acquire Cousins should he become available is if he is the kind of player who is willing to accept direction from a coach such as as Brad Stevens.
He respected Mike Malone, and put a lot of effort into improving his game.
Cousins gets a lot of flack, but he's one of the few stars who has drastically improved his game since coming into the league. He's become more efficient scoring, while at the same time improving his passing, rebounding, and in particular, defense. He's a legit defensive anchor now, a notion that would have been laughable even 2 or 3 years ago.
Pretty much every player has drastically improved their game after coming into the league. College players are not good.
Yes and no. A lot of players get better at doing what they do best, but it stops there. For other players, they keep learning new skills.
Did anybody think that DMC would become a top-tier defender? And yet, he has been. He's been a good passer, and he's become smarter in his shot selection. He's also matured and become a team leader.
I think his improvement has been greater than most. Certainly, greater than anybody on the current Celtics.