DeMarcus Cousins Is 'Most Dominant Player' in the World, Says Vlade Divac

DeMarcus Cousins has served as an anchor for the United States men's basketball team during the squad's tuneup games in advance of the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, and Sacramento Kings general manager Vlade Divac didn't hesitate to heap praise on his big man following Team USA's 107-57 win over China on Tuesday night.

"It's a no-brainer," Divac said when asked if Cousins was the best big man in the world, per CSNBayArea.com's James Ham. "He's the most dominant player in the whole world. And being from Serbia, I have to root for Serbia, but I feel bad for them. He's going to kill them."

Cousins may not be the most dominant player in the world, as Divac asserted, but he's certainly atop the conversation for the best big man the NBA has to offer.

Still just 25 years old, Cousins averaged 26.9 points, 11.5 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 1.6 steals and 1.4 blocks during the 2015-16 season—and those numbers proved to be historically significant.

Cousins joined Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Charles Barkley, Karl Malone, Bob McAdoo, Hakeem Olajuwon, Bob Lanier, David Robinson and Chris Webber as the only players in league history to average at least 25 points, 11 rebounds, three dimes and a steal over the course of an entire campaign.

In fact, those numbers hadn't been broached since Webber's 2000-01 season with the Kings.

Player	Games	PPG	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PER
DeMarcus Cousins	65	26.9	11.5	3.3	1.6	1.4	23.6
Anthony Davis	61	24.3	10.3	1.9	1.3	2.0	25.0
Andre Drummond	81	16.2	14.8	0.8	1.5	1.4	21.2
DeAndre Jordan	77	12.7	13.8	1.2	0.7	2.3	20.6
Karl-Anthony Towns	82	18.3	10.5	2.0	0.7	1.7	22.5
Hassan Whiteside	73	14.2	11.8	0.4	0.6	3.7	25.7

Cousins' value was also reflected in Sacramento's efficiency ratings with him on and off the court. According to NBA.com's lineup data, the Kings were 7.0 points worse per 100 possessions with Cousins on the bench last season—including 4.5 points worse per 100 possessions on defense alone.

Furthermore, the two-time All-Star has evolved into one of the league's toughest covers.

Not only did Cousins shoot 49.4 percent on post-ups last season, per Synergy Sports player-tracking data, but he rattled home a career-best 33.3 percent of his three-point attempts on 3.2 long-range attempts per game. (As a point of reference, Cousins attempted just 0.1 treys a night during the 2014-15 season.)

If Cousins' development continues at similarly gaudy clips moving forward, Divac's statements may not seem hyperbolic as the Kings seek to ride their big man to the franchise's first postseason berth since 2005-2006.

Stats courtesy of Basketball-Reference.com unless noted otherwise.