DeMarcus Cousins gets honest about the Heat's Giannis Antetokounmpo and Bam Adebayo

Mar 12, 2026; Miami, Florida, USA; Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (34) drives to the basket against Miami Heat center Bam Adebayo (13) during the first quarter at Kaseya Center. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

Back in 2017, the New Orleans Pelicans paired their superstar big man Anthony Davis with the league's best center at the time, DeMarcus Cousins. They formed a fearsome duo, which got to the Western Conference Semifinals in 2018.

Unfortunately for that duo, their partnership seemingly ended abruptly. However, they did make a mark as one of the best frontcourt partnerships in the league. In fact, it was so good that people are still treating it as a reference for frontcourt duos.

DeMarcus Cousins is frustrated about the comparison to Bam Adebayo and Giannis Antetokounmpo

One of the duos that have been compared to that Cousins-Davis partnership has been the Miami Heat frontcourt of Bam Adebayo and Giannis Antetokounmpo. They are set to be one of the best teams in the Eastern Conference because of this frontcourt partnership.

Since this is a combination of two All-Star big men, it is natural for people to look at how the double-big setup worked out for Cousins and Davis back in the day. Unfortunately, this has led to Cousins showing some frustration about the comparisons.

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Back in the late 2010s, it was evident that the game was different because of the Golden State Warriors' impact on the game. The double big setup was not at its best, but Cousins and Davis found a way to make it work.

Now, it seems he does not want his experience to be compared to the modern day. He does not want to see his duo being compared because there are a lot of differences between them and the Heat's duo.

"I think our skill set was way different than Bam and Giannis. We were running P&Rs. One of them is a limited shooter. Me and AD weren’t limited shooters. We could shoot off the dribble; it’s a totally different thing," Cousins said about the Heat's frontcourt while on Gil's Arena.

Thankfully for the Heat, they only have to focus on the future. They don't have to prove that they are a duo that matches up well against that Cousins-Davis partnership because that era is long gone.

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