Why DeMarcus Cousins Will Be the 2nd Best Center Behind Dwight Howard

The Sacramento Kings drafted a perennial all-star center in Demarcus Cousins. If it wasn't for his so called attitude and complaining to the referees, then it would have been possible for Cousins to be drafted right behind his college teammate John Wall. The Kings saw size, skills beyond his years, and a future star center in Cousins.

I see Demarcus Cousins as the second best center behind Dwight Howard for many years to come. I don’t think anyone sees his potential as being this high, but who really is the next best center in the league?

Cousins is still very young, having turned 20 in August, and many of us know how we were when we were that age. We were very immature and still trying to figure out our lives, and so is Cousins. 

What is undeniable is Cousins’ size. He is 6’11” and 270 lbs. His size is along the lines of Howard and Bogut, although he isn’t as built as they are. Cousins will shed his baby fat and continue to learn how to use his big body as he matures. Look for Cousins to hit the weights and muscle up in the next few years. What sets him apart from previous centers with big bodies, is that he knows how to use it, which is very rare for such a young player.  

In Cousins’ rookie season, we saw a player who can hit the mid range shot, pass out of the high and low post, hit a hook shot with either hand, and rebound at a high rate. Who was the last center to come into the league with all these skills? I really can’t think of anyone recently. 

The problem with Cousins was that in certain games, he seemed to choose what skill to use. He needs to learn to use all his skills every game. This will come as he matures. He also seemed to fall in love with the mid range and fade-away shot for long stretches, which is reminiscent of Chris Webber, and we definitely don’t want to see that.

Cousins also was learning to get deep position in the post, and when we got the ball down low, he usually finished. These are keys for a center to dominate in the league. 

In his only season, Cousins is far more advanced on the offensive end compared to Howard, but on the defensive end he needs help.

Cousins doesn’t possess the athletic ability that Howard and the other better centers have, but he does need to improve on defense. Many times last season, I saw Cousins making careless fouls when a player blew by him or he never made the right rotation. He must improve and learn how to be in the right spot at the right time.

I don’t ever see Cousins being the anchor for the Kings on the defensive end, but he can be a clog in the middle with his body and abnormally long wingspan. Cousins will definitely need a defensive minded power forward alongside him, and I am not sure JJ Hickson and Jason Thompson can be those guys. If Hassan Whiteside develops, then he could become a weak-side shot blocker like Marcus Camby to help Cousins on that end. 

Last season, the Kings used Cousins at center and power forward. They were not sure which position best suited him. As he continues to develop, his natural position will be center.  

The race for second best center will be between Cousins, Bogut, Bynum, and Marc Gasol. The four are all similar in build and they all possess a particular skill that they are good at, but Cousins in his only NBA season showed the same skills. Imagine Cousins with a few more seasons under his belt. His skills will be enhanced and ready to dominate. 

If there is a season this year, I fully expect Cousins to improve upon his 14.1 points and 8.7 rebound per game rookie season. He accomplished those numbers in 28.5 minutes. These are very impressive since he could never really stay in the game. If he can stay in games longer, I expect him to average 20 points and 10 rebounds very easily.  

With all the praise, skill, and potential in the world comes a lot of red flags in Cousins. In the past two seasons in the public eye, we have seen Cousins whine and complain instead of playing through situations. His body language is very similar to quarterback Jay Cutler for the Bears.

Cutler has not fixed his attitude in his many seasons, and I do fear that Cousins will be the same. Red flag players have the same demeanor and attitude towards everything. They believe that everyone is out to get them. We saw that in the ultra talented Derrick Coleman, Ron Artest, and Zach Randolph. Each player either has some screws loose or lacks work ethic and motivation.  

Zach Randolph is a prime example of a player who had all the talent in the world, but had so many problems on and off the court. He put up 20 and 10 throughout his career, but it never meant anything because he wasn’t a leader to the team.It took Randolph almost 10 years to mature and become the player that a team needed him to be.

I do see Cousins following a similar path as Randolph’s, but I do believe he will mature a lot sooner. Cousins will have to be the main guy for the Kings because I do not see Tyreke Evans having the mindset to be the leader of this team. 

The key for Cousins is to stay on the court and continue to improve and mature. His goal should be to become the best center in the league. He cannot squander all his talent, and he must know this. Ten years from now we could possibly call Demarcus Cousins one of the great players in the league or maybe just another headcase with lack of work ethic like Derrick Coleman.