While Stephen Curry was busy dazzling Oracle Arena during an annihilation of the San Antonio Spurs, DeMarcus Cousins continued his own NBA takeover with a career-high 56-point effort in a double-overtime thriller against the Charlotte Hornets.
DeMarcus Cousins is bullying every NBA team in his way
The Kings’ star has been the most dominant interior force in the NBA since the start of the new year.
The night didn't end on a high note for Cousins, who fouled out on a questionable offensive foul call in the second overtime of the 129-128 defeat. Ultimately, the Kings lost because Troy Daniels hit a game-winning three-pointer, his eighth of the night.
However, the performance was yet another reminder that Cousins is the most dominant big man force in the game.
After a tumultuous offseason and rocky start to the year that featured injuries and poor shooting, Cousins has dominated every opponent in his path in January. This 56-point effort, which set a Sacramento-era record and is the highest-scoring individual game of the season, came two days after he notched 48 points in an impressive home win over the Indiana Pacers. That was Sacramento's fifth straight win.
Over the last two games, Cousins has scored 104 points on 59 shot attempts while also grabbing 25 rebounds. He’s averaging over 34 points and nearly 14 rebounds with a true shooting percentage of 61 percent in the month of January. He’s scored at least 30 points and grabbed more than 10 boards in nine of his last 12 games.
Better yet, the Kings are 8-4 this month while operating at an elite level offensively with their star big man on the court. Sacramento has scored over 111 points per 100 possessions with Cousins on the floor in January, per NBA.com. That's a Warriors-level clip.
The uptick in Cousins’s efficiency of late has coincided with him doing more work around the basket, though he’s also hitting more jumpers.
Shot chart before January
January shot chart
The numbers are much improved across he board, which is a function of improved health and comfort with the Kings’ fast-paced attack. Cousins missed time in November due to an Achilles injury and at times struggled with his conditioning, but he’s back on track now.
Cousins has developed an especially nice rapport with point guard Rajon Rondo, who racked up 20 assists in the loss to Charlotte. The Kings have scored over 114 points per 100 possessions in the 340 minutes the two have shared the court in January. Signing Rondo was a risk after his disastrous half-season in Dallas, but he's flourishing alongside a dominant low-post presence like Cousins. Rondo remains excellent at delivering the ball to his teammates' preferred spots and Cousins has taken full advantage:
This looked like a basic post-entry pass, but Cousins did an excellent job using his strength to seal off and discard the smaller Marvin Williams. Rondo hit the big man right on the money with a perfect bounce pass, which isn't so easy to do against defenses that front the post.
Here’s another play in which Rondo made a beautiful lob pass right as he crossed halfcourt.
Rondo has assisted on nearly 41 percent of Cousins’ makes this year, so clearly they have developed amazing chemistry.
"I think chemistry is the most undervalued thing in our league today. I just love our chemistry right now." - Rajon Rondo
— James Ham (@James_Ham) January 26, 2016 Of course, Cousins is also great because he has a full arsenal of skills unlike any other big man in the league. He can shoot threes (35 percent overall and 46 percent in January) and fadeaway jumpers:
He can run fast breaks:
He can drop dimes:
And he can do this:
Cousins has made strides as a defender, too, as his conditioning has improved. The Kings have been significantly better defensively when he’s on the floor and his rim protection numbers are right up near the top of the league, per SportVU.
Here, Cousins did a nice job getting back in transition and blocking without fouling:
Cousins is by no means perfect, as he still has those infamous moments where he loses his cool and lets the officials get in his head. But over the last month, those issues have been few and far between, which has resulted in a lot of success for the eighth-seeded Kings.
Sacramento has dealt with years of bad basketball and front-office turmoil, and Cousins has been at the center of much of it. Trade rumors have constantly swirled around Cousins, but management has been steadfast in denying any interest in dealing him.
With Cousins reaching new heights on the court, that decision is looking better and better. That faith may very well result in the franchise’s first playoff appearance since 2006.
See More:
