DeMarcus Cousins is Becoming the Best Center in the NBA
Kelvin Kuo-USA TODAY Sports
The Sacramento Kings are off to a hot start this year.
They are currently 5-2 and have showed improved efforts in many areas in their team game. They are playing better defense, the ball is moving more, they seem to have team chemistry and players are maturing. It is still early in the season, but the person who has matured the most and contributed to the Kings’ early success is DeMarcus Cousins.
Entering his fifth season with the Kings, we are finally seeing his growth as a player and maturity. He was drafted 5th overall in 2010 and it was immediately known that he would be their franchise player, especially after he signed a contract extension last year worth a reported $62 million over another four years.
With that contract extension and his time with the USA team this past summer, where they won a gold medal, it seems his confidence and maturity has reached another level.
At 6-foot-11 and weighing 270 pounds, Cousins is a big boy. He has a strong post game, which is reminiscent of the old school centers. He also has a face-up game, which makes him very useful in today’s game. His all around offensive game is better than most centers in this league now.
Most centers are very limited offensively, such as Roy Hibbert, Dwight Howard, DeAndre Jordan and Joakim Noah. Brooke Lopez, Marc Gasol and Al Jefferson all have a better-rounded offensive game than the centers previously stated, but none put up the PPG with Cousin’s efficiency (FG% and FT%). Only one center has a better PPG and efficiency than Cousins, which is early MVP candidate Anthony Davis.
Looking past the offensive side of the ball, Cousins is slowly becoming a strong defensive player. He is averaging 11.1 rebounds. That is good for eighth best in the league. He has increased his blocks per game in each season. This shows an improved effort on the defensive end.
He continues to average around 1.5 steals per game. Cousins needs the most improvement on the defensive side of the ball. Once he makes a commitment to protect the rim like other centers, he will undoubtedly be the best center in the NBA. For now, he will be one of the best centers in the league.
Michael Ivey is a blogger with RantSports. Follow Michael on twitter @iveyleague10, add him on Google and like his Facebook Page.
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