Cousins says he's dropped 20 pounds since end of season

DeMarcus Cousins is committed to turning a corner next season with the Sacramento Kings, as he seeks the first playoff berth of his tumultuous young NBA career.

Cousins has been working out rigorously in preparation for this summer's Olympics in Rio - where he's reportedly already been told he'll have a Team USA roster spot - and arrived at the DeMarcus Cousins Elite Skills Basketball Camp this week carrying 20 fewer pounds than he was at the end of the regular season, Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee reports.

"I'm a bit lighter than I've been (in) any of my previous years," Cousins said. "The pace of the of the game has picked up a lot, and I've got to be able to fit in. Also, my role changes a lot for Team USA. ... I'm also trying to prepare my body for that."

The All-Star center, whose playing weight has hovered around 270 pounds for the majority of his career, also hopes being lighter will help prevent some of the foot and lower-leg injuries that have plagued him in recent seasons.

"That's also part of it," he said. "A lot less pressure on my feet."

Cousins dealt with tendinitis in both feet last season and says he's had multiple shockwave treatments since season's end to alleviate the pain. He's doing much of this in anticipation of his first taste of Olympic basketball - "I've always wanted to be on the Olympic team, and I've finally got the chance," he said - but he's also excited about the Kings' prospects this season, under new head coach Dave Joerger.

"I'm very confident this is going to be our year," he said Thursday. "This is the year we turn it around."

The Kings will have to hope that a svelter Cousins won't mean sacrificing the freakish strength that's made him arguably the league's deadliest low-post scorer.

Sacramento has the NBA's second-longest playoff drought, having last cracked the Western Conference's top eight back in 2006. Joerger will be the ninth man to coach the team since then.