Cousins looks to make most of Olympic chance
DeMarcus Cousins had 14 points and 15 rebounds in just 16 minutes of the U.S. team's exhibition opener, a 111-74 victory over Argentina. The Sacramento Kings star can score inside and out.
DeMarcus Cousins considers the thought, and one of the NBA’s most recognizable scowls quickly turns into a bright smile.
Without saying a word, it’s clear he agrees: For the first time under Mike Krzyzewski, the U.S. Olympic basketball team has a genuine offensive weapon in the middle. The Americans might even have the best center in the world. Cousins had 14 points and 15 rebounds in just 16 minutes of the Americans’ exhibition opener, a 111-74 victory over Argentina. The Sacramento Kings star can score inside and out, and gives the U.S. a dimension it hasn’t had while winning the last two gold medals.
“DeMarcus is going to be a force in Rio,” teammate Klay Thompson said.
The center spot has almost been an afterthought on recent U.S. teams, who much preferred playing small to pounding the ball inside. Then again, none had a “bulldog” like Cousins, as Kevin Durant called him.
“There’s been a lot of great bigs come through this program, so I’m blessed to be in this situation,” Cousins said. “I’m honored to be in this situation. I’m not really in it to say who’s the best at what position, I’m just here to help the team win. So we’ve got one goal in mind, which is the gold, and that’s only thing I’m focused on right now.”
Along with that gold, Cousins could bring back something else from the Olympics.
His NBA career has been six seasons of bad teams and bad moods and the constant losing in Sacramento often overshadowing his play. The 6-foot-11 center out of Kentucky averaged a careerhigh 26.9 points last season, fourth in the NBA, and was fifth in the league with 11.5 rebounds per game. But the Kings missed the playoffs again.
Now he’ll spend a month around a team that does nothing but win, and maybe that mentality will rub off on him.