Cousins is 8th player to play in 500 games without a playoff appearance
It's not a distinction any NBA player would want, but it's one three-time All-Star DeMarcus Cousins now has.
Saturday night against the visiting Los Angeles Clippers, the New Orleans Pelicans big man became the eighth player in league history to have suited up for 500 or more regular season games and have never made the playoffs.
| Player | Years in NBA | Games |
|---|---|---|
| Tom Van Arsdale | 12 | 929 |
| Otto Moore | 9 | 682 |
| Nate Williams | 8 | 642 |
| Sebastian Telfair | 10 | 564 |
| Popeye Jones | 11 | 535 |
| Eddy Curry | 11 | 527 |
| Omri Casspi | 9 | 508 |
| DeMarcus Cousins | 8 | 500 |
(Courtesy: Basketball-Reference.com)
Cousins began his career with the Sacramento Kings, winning over 30 games in a season just once with the organization (33 in 2015-16), and never finishing higher than 10th in the Western Conference.
Through 12 games with the Pelicans this season, the 27-year-old has been as dominant as he's ever been, averaging career highs across the board with 28.2 points, 13.8 rebounds, 5.8 assists, 1.7 steals, and 1.8 blocks.
What matters most, though, is New Orleans is currently in the playoff picture with a .500 record of 6-6, as early as it is. The team finished with a 34-48 record a season ago, but Cousins was only available 17 times after being dealt by Sacramento.