You have more in common with DeMarcus Cousins than you think.
He, too, has no idea what the Sacramento Kings are thinking, per ABC 10’s Sean Cunningham:
DeMarcus Cousins on Kings Draft: 'I can't control that. I control what I can control. I don't really understand it, but I do my job.'
— Sean Cunningham (@SeanCunningham) July 18, 2016
Cousins is specifically referring to the Kings drafting two more centers…in the first round: Georgios Papagiannis out of Greece and Skal Labissiere from Kentucky. This is on top of Sacramento already employing Willie Cauley-Stein and Kosta Koufos, in addition to Cousins. And that, in turn, makes no sense.
Yes, Cousins jacked up 210 three-point attempts last season. And sure, videos of Cauley-Stein practicing his three-point stroke are not uncommon. Labissiere also showcased a nice outside touch at times during the Las Vegas Summer League.
But not one of those three should be used as a nominal power forward in today’s game. Positional designations may be meaningless, but playing down a slot isn’t recommended, either. And two of these three will have to see ample time as power forwards if they’re going to be ample cogs in the Kings’ rotation. Neither Koufos nor Papagiannis has the chops to survive at the 4, even for a short period of time.
Still, throw Cousins or Labissiere on opposing 4s, many of whom are playmakers who score off the catch and the bounce these days, and the Kings are instantly at a defensive disadvantage. So even if they make it work offensively, there is still a stark trade-off.
Cauley-Stein, meanwhile, can guard pretty much any position. That will help. But until he hones his jumper and can be used as more than a pick-and-roll diver, he isn’t power forward material.
Does this mean a trade is on the horizon, if not this summer then sometime before the February deadline? Definitely. Well, probably. I think. Shit, I actually don’t know.
These are the Kings, after all. As Cousins alludes to, it would be foolish to try understanding what in the hell they’re doing.
