Cousins still adapting to new offensive role: 'I'm lost right now'
Even as he's averaging a career-high 24.6 points per game, and his Sacramento Kings have won four of five to move to within a game of a Western Conference playoff spot, DeMarcus Cousins doesn't feel settled.
"I'm lost right now," Cousins said after Sunday's wire-to-wire win over the Toronto Raptors, according to Jason Jones of The Sacramento Bee. "It's uncomfortable most nights, but I'm still trying to find a way to fight through it and still impact the game."
On top of playing through back pain - which forced him to miss three games last month - the All-NBA center is adapting to playing further from the basket, trying to work a 3-point shot into his already robust offensive arsenal.
"My game has changed a lot this season; my role has changed a lot, so I'm just trying to find my way," Cousins said.
"He's experimenting with the outside shot a little bit, and that's going to bring his percentage down a little bit," said Kings head coach George Karl. "But I still think he will be a 3-point shooter; he will be a proven 3-point shooter by the end of this year."
Though the deep ball is still a work in progress, Cousins certainly seemed to be finding his way on Sunday. With a relatively quiet 15 points on 5-of-13 shooting, he impacted the game in multiple ways. He took advantage of all the extra attention the defense paid him by doling out five assists, and made his presence felt at the defensive end with two steals and four blocks, all while staying out of foul trouble. The Kings outscored the Raptors by 33 points in the 32 minutes Cousins was on the floor.
"I'm not a big stat guy," Karl said. "If we win with him shooting 35 percent, I'm happy, and if we lose with him shooting 55 percent, I'm sad."
By his own lofty standards, Cousins has struggled since returning from the back injury. In eight December games, he's shot just 38.1 percent from the field, while his rebounds and free-throw attempts have dipped considerably. After the Kings dropped three straight at the beginning of the month, Cousins was asked what was ailing the team.
"It is me," he said. "I've been playing like absolute s---."
Cousins can take all the blame he wants, but the numbers tell a different story. The Kings are 10-9 when he plays compared to 1-7 when he sits, and they've performed 12.2 points per 100 possessions better with him on the floor, one of the league's most glaring disparities. If this is to be the year Sacramento ends its nine-year playoff drought, he'll have to do most of the heavy lifting.
"I can't really worry about it right now," Cousins said of his comfort level. "If I worried about it, then I'd be considered uncoachable. So I'm trying to be a coachable player, do what's best for the team, what the coaches think is best for the team, so I'm just playing my part. I'll take the heat."