During his 10 years as the head coach at the University of Kentucky, John Calipari has produced countless first-round draft picks.
But none of those players have ever appeared in the NBA Finals.
Until Thursday, when Golden State Warriors center DeMarcus Cousins is expected to play in Game 1 against the Toronto Raptors.
The Warriors have outscored opponents by 4.5 points per 100 possessions with DeMarcus Cousins on the floor this season. That jumps up to +8.1 when he sits.
Assuming he plays, Cousins will be the 1st player from Kentucky coached by John Calipari to play in the NBA Finals. pic.twitter.com/eA6Dwkckbm— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) May 30, 2019
It's a stunning nugget at first glance, but when you think about it, most of the top talent he sends to the NBA usually goes to bad teams picking at the top of the NBA Draft, not playoff contenders.
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Cousins has been out since tearing his quad muscle in Game 2 of the Warriors' first-round series against the Los Angeles Clippers.
