DeMarcus Cousins Is Beneficiary Of Inflated Statistics

By Nick Sciria

After Monday night’s monster game, many NBA fans have taken notice of the numbers DeMarcus Cousins is putting up this season with the Sacramento Kings. Cousins boasts per-36 numbers that jump off of the page, although putting those numbers into context is necessary when evaluating his play. Ultimately, Cousins’ current production for Sacramento has been noteworthy, but his statistics are inflated and should be treated as so.

Although the Kings would make the playoffs if they were to start today, Sacramento is a lot worse than its current Western Conference eighth seed would dictate. According to NBA.com/Stats, the Kings rank only 22nd in net rating and sit four games under .500.

Of course, stars find it much easier to post massive stat lines on teams that are not all that good. It is possible that Cousins’ career numbers are inflated by this notion, and this year is no different. Cousins has never made the playoffs in over five seasons in the league, a concerning trend that cannot be dismissed in discussing his on-court production.

Ultimately, the Kings are once again stuck with a lack of options offensively. Because of this, Cousins has unlimited opportunities to score, far and away the team’s most promising offensive weapon. Currently, Cousins leads the league in usage percentage at 35.7 percent (a whole 2.5 percent higher than the next-closest player on that list).

Furthermore, Sacramento’s starting point guard (Rajon Rondo) is averaging 12.1 assists per 36 minutes, which makes sense considering he refuses to shoot. This season, Cousins has played a remarkable 80.5 percent of his total minutes alongside this selfishly unselfish enigma. Via NBA.com/Stats, Cousins predictably benefits when Rondo is on the court. With Rondo in the game, Sacramento’s center shoots 46.7 percent. However, when Rondo goes to the bench, this number falls to 42.8 percent.

Additionally, the Kings are the fastest-paced team in the NBA at 101.8 possessions per game, yet another reason why Cousins’ per game statistics are inflated relative to other NBA stars.

These underlying themes becomes even more apparent when looking at Cousins’ shooting percentages. According to Basketball-Reference, Cousins has played every single second as a center in his NBA career. This season, he ranks 35th out of 58 qualified centers in true shooting percentage, far from the efficiency one would expect from a star center. Looking at his career, it is somewhat concerning for an offensive-minded center having yet to eclipse 49.6 percent from the field.

In the end, Cousins will be defended by countless NBA fans who fail to recognize the context of his situation. Of course, Cousins is one of the many budding stars in this league. However, a variety of concerns still surround him, and they simply cannot be dismissed.

Related Link: Cavaliers Should Not Trade Love For Cousins

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