CHICAGO — After playing in the NBA Draft Combine last week, former Oklahoma point guard Isaiah Cousins is hoping to impress during individual NBA workouts beginning this week.
The 6-foot-4 Mount Vernon, N.Y., native begins workouts on Tuesday with the Indiana Pacers. He was supposed to go against Maryland point guard Melo Trimble, but Trimble is no longer in the workout. Cousins will then work out this week for New Orleans and Denver before heading to San Antonio on Sunday. After that come workouts with Houston and Phoenix.
“I’m definitely looking forward to that,” Cousins, who led the Sooners to the Final Four in Houston, told me at the Combine. “[I’m looking to show] that I can play at the position as a point guard and just make plays and just go hard.
“I just keep working hard and being humble.”
In his first game at the Combine, Cousins matched up against another New York native, Brooklyn’s Isaiah Whitehead, and Cousins finished with 7 points on 3-for-8 shooting with 3 assists and 5 turnovers in a 109-69 loss.
“It was a fun matchup, just going out there competing and just playing with each other since we both New York guys,” Cousins said. “So it was good out there.”
On Friday, Cousins went for 8 points on 3-for-9 shooting with 8 assists, 7 rebounds and 3 turns in a 91-83 victory over a team featuring Michael Gbinije and Cheick Diallo.
“After somewhat of an uneven first outing, Isaiah Cousins bounced back and had a strong final game, showcasing the versatility that has made him a fast riser in this pre-draft process,” DraftExpress.com wrote. “The intrigue around him starts with the excellent size he brings to the guard position, measuring 6’3 ¼ without shoes with a 6’6 ¼ wingspan, and solid athletic ability. His tools, coupled with his toughness allows him to defend either guard spot.”
Cousins, projected at No. 42 by NBADraft.net, may have helped himself with his performances at the Portsmouth Invitational and the NBA Combine.
“Few players have helped their draft stock more in the pre-draft process thus far as much as Isaiah Cousins, as solid outings at both the Portsmouth Invitational Tournament and NBA Combine have shown NBA teams why he was such an integral part of a Final Four Oklahoma team,” DraftExpress.com wrote. “He ticks a number of boxes with his size, shooting ability, toughness and defense, and plays a role a number of NBA teams are looking to fill at the moment as a versatile backup guard.”
For a kid from the tough streets of Mount Vernon, the chance to make an NBA roster is a chance to forever change his life.
“It’s a great opporutnity and I’m just doing it for my community and my friends and the people that’s coming up playing basketball,” Cousins said.
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NAfter playing in the NBA Draft Combine last week, former Oklahoma point guard Isaiah Cousins is hoping to impress during individual NBA workouts beginning this week.
