For years the NBA was dominated by the great man. Size was everything if you were building a team, and your star player was not a big man, you did something wrong. Returning to 1984, the year that Michael Jordan was drafted, no one believed that he could be the Savior for the Chicago Bulls because he was a 6’6 “guard and not a 7’0” giant. MJ reversed that story and slowly started the trend of guards and ahead to be stars.
This trend continued to progress to what we know today as a positive basketball. Many different fads had happened, such as the small ball era, where each team tried to have maximum distance by not playing a center. And while the size still had its place in the NBA history, as double large duos such as Ralph Sampson and Hakeem Olajuwon for the Rockets and David Robinson and Tim Duncan for the dominated traces. It was a trend that was completely extended until a team brought it back.
On February 20, 2017, the Sacramento Kings Demarcus Cousins and Omri Caspi held on the Pelicans for Buddy, Tyreke Evans, Langston Galloway and a first round and second round 2017.
This trade helped cousins with pelicans star Anthony Davis and reduced a concept that the NBA had not seen in more than 15 years. During this time, Small Ball was a huge trend because most teams scoured their line -ups to create more distance. However, the Pelicans did exactly the opposite with this deal by combining the two most competent large men of the competition. Although this trend did not necessarily work immediately, it in advance the future of the NBA.
The cousins and adduo finger prints are everywhere in the modern NBA
In today’s game, each team tries to get as much size as possible in their line -up, because it creates unfair mismatches that are easy to expose. During the 2024-25 season, the two teams that ended with the top two records in the competition used both Double Big Man-Line-ups.
The cavs, who won 64 competitions, used a double large tandem by Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen. These two giants dominated the paint on both ends and were a huge reason why Cleveland had such a year as she did.
The same applies to the Thunder, which won 68 games last season and the NBA Finals, who runs a duo of Chet Holmgren and Isaiah Hartenstein. Although OKC has the reigning MVP of the competition in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the threat that both Bigs caused, especially in the defensive ending, was crucial for their success.
We will probably never see a duo such as advertisement and boogie again
Although Double Big’s trend is slowly returning to the NBA through the cavs and the Thunder, it is probably honest to say that we will never get a tandem better than advertisement and boogie. Although the cousins were tore Achilles, so this duo only played 48 games together, it was really a one -off experience to watch. The moment the trade took place, there was no dispute. These two were the best two bigs in the competition and they came together.
They regularly posted 30+ points, 20+ rebound games and opponents had no answer. If there had been no injuries, I seriously believe they could have closed the Warriors.
Although it is disappointing that it was such a short stint, it is also important to remember that this duo not only predicted the future of the NBA, but it was also something that we will probably never see again.
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