Sacramento Kings: DeMarcus Cousins Preseason Warmup, Part 2

Be sure to check out part one, where the focus is on DeMarcus Cousins’ offensive game.

Cousins is now officially the man. (Photo Credit: Matthew Addie, Wiki Commons)

Last week I said the Kings probably would hold off on offering Cousins a contract extension, opting to reopen negotiations next summer. There were too many question marks surrounding Cousins to commit to him right away when there was no real urgency to do so. Turns out I was completely wrong as Cousins has recently signed a four 62 million dollar contract extension. This will be my third time giving this spiel (check here and here for the first two), but I cannot quite get my head around organizations offering these early extensions that are worth more money than what these players can get on the market in restricted free agency (which the extension offering team has the right to match).

In the case of DeMarcus Cousins the Kings may have actually saved some cash — Cousins could have made just under 67 million in restricted free agency (based on current salary cap projections) — but I still have to question the contract, if only because there are so many questions still surrounding Cousins’ true ceiling. There are so many questions surrounding DeMarcus Cousins, and Sacramento had a whole season to find answers before pulling the trigger on him. I just do not see the appeal of giving him the money now. Alas, I am not a GM and probably will never be. Let’s get back to Cousins on the court…

As frustrating as Boogie can be on the offensive end of the court, his major deficiency in skill exists more so on the defensive end. With Cousins’ on the floor Sacramento posted a 109.5 defensive rating, which would rate out to worst in the league by a long shot (per NBA.com). That defensive number improves to 107.4 with Cousins off the court.

Generally speaking if you are a starting center and your team is more effective defensively with you off the court, your defensive prowess is really lacking. (Quick side note: it is also worth mentioning that the Kings had a better net rating with Cousins off the court, by about 4 rating points.) Also, it is quite clear that Cousins’ inability to slow down the paint attack was key in Sacramento’s defensive struggles. With Cousins on the floor Sacramento allowed 47 points in the paint per 100 possessions (which would rank 4th worst in the NBA). That number dropped to 45.8 when Cousins was off the court and while the change is minimal, the fact that Sacramento was so bad at protecting the paint when Cousins was on the court points to Boogie’s ineptitude as an interior defender.

The blame for Cousins inability to protect the paint can be placed in many different areas. Criticism will point out that he often appears to be lazy on that end, but I think there are some valid excuses for Cousins poor showing on defense — but nothing that completely absolves him from those bouts of laziness. Specifically, Cousins lacks the height and athleticism to be the type of defender who can be a menacing force on the defensive end. As mentioned in part one, Cousins typically plays below the rim, and that along with lacking lateral quickness and the aforementioned bouts of laziness make it hard for Cousins to effectively defend the paint — Cousins only averaged .7 blocks per game last season, extremely lacking for an elite big man. Also, Cousins has not necessarily played under great defensive instruction in his career so far. It is hard enough for a younger player to gain a grasp on the complexities of NBA defense; being saddled with below average defense minds and teachers have not made things easier for Cousins.

But despite all that, there are some bright spots in Cousins’ game on the defensive end. While Cousins is not, and will never be a shot blocker, he provides similar value in his ability to take charges. Cousins took .24 charges per game last season, good for 38th in the league and well above the league average (.11). Cousins also has displayed quick hands on the defensive end and actually led big men in steals last season (1.5 per game). That elite ability to get steals and take charges earned Cousins the 33rd spot for HoopsData’s defense stat (steals+blocks+charges; 2.45 for Cousins) despite his low block numbers. There is a legitimate argument for steals and charges being more valuable ‘stops’ than blocks, mainly because those stops guarantee possession while a block is still up for a rebound. When taking that into account it appears that Cousins actually has more value on the defensive end than we give him credit for.

Also dealing with possession, Cousins’ biggest asset as a defender is as a defensive rebounder. Cousins has been an animal on the defensive boards for most of his career, and last season was no exception. Cousins garnered a 27.8 defensive rebounding percentage last season, which ranked at 7th in the NBA. Right now, Cousins is the sole rebounding presence on the Kings’ roster and his ability to control the defensive glass is what keeps that team afloat on the boards. And that really is Cousins greatest attribute as a defender — and even as a basketball player in general.

For all the shortcomings as an efficient scorer, and an effective defender, Cousins is a great possession player. He wins plenty of extra possessions for the Kings via the steal and the charge; he keeps the opposing teams’ possessions down by keeping them off the offensive glass as much as possible; and when he is allowed to spend more time around the rim, he earns a lot of extra possessions via offensive rebounds. Possession typically is not valued enough by players, coaches, analysts, and fans but the ability to gain a possession edge over your opponent allows for some leeway when it comes to actual scoring efficiency — the Indiana Pacers just pushed the Miami Heat to seven games mostly because they dominated the offensive glass. Cousins is not quite efficient enough on offense yet and his interior defense leaves a lot to be desired; but if he can improve in those areas, that improvement along with Cousins great ability to win possession could make that maximum contract worth it.

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