The Kings are once again terrible, just as they’ve been every season for the past seven years. Help was supposed to be on the way, thanks to solid young talent acquired through the draft in Tyreke Evans, the 2010 Rookie of the Year, and mercurial big man DeMarcus Cousins.
Evans has regressed since that stellar first season, in part due to dealing with injuries, and in part due to some positional uncertainty and perhaps a revolving door of head coaches that haven’t stayed in place long enough to develop his skill set.
Cousins, meanwhile, had been increasingly productive, and had shown signs that he was ready to make the leap this season into becoming an All-Star caliber big man. It hasn’t happened that way, though, and after a miserable eight-point, six-rebound performance in his team’s 35-point loss to the Clippers on Saturday, Cousins admits that he’s lost confidence.
From Ailene Voisin of the Sacramento Bee:One month into his third season with the Kings, the Big Cuz is in a massive funk. His numbers are down in all the pertinent categories. He isn’t running the floor with the same energy or commitment of last season. He repeatedly is finding himself in foul trouble and on the bench, or in trouble with his coach and on the bench.
And he doesn’t have any answers.
“I’ve been terrible,” Cousins said bluntly but softly. “We’re losing. I don’t feel like I made improvements from last year. I really don’t have any confidence at all. I’m just trying to think my way through it, but right now, I’m not finding anything.”
Cousins has always had attitude issues, but his game, especially on the boards, has managed to transcend that up until this season.
The suspensions and ejections have been there this season as much as ever, and Cousins is tied for the league lead in technical fouls with five, counting games played through December 2.
The Kings need a stable coaching staff in place for more than a season or two to develop its young talent, while being able to gain the trust of the team’s young players at the same time. Cousins is a unique project, and one that will require special handling and attention to maximize his potential.
With the player himself already losing confidence in his abilities, we may be reaching a critical juncture.
