{"id":765391,"date":"2022-11-09T18:48:48","date_gmt":"2022-11-09T23:48:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.slamonline.com\/?p=765391"},"modified":"2022-11-09T18:48:50","modified_gmt":"2022-11-09T23:48:50","slug":"demarcus-cousins-believes-he-can-contribute-to-kings-making-a-playoff-push","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.slamonline.com\/newswire\/sacramento-kings\/demarcus-cousins-believes-he-can-contribute-to-kings-making-a-playoff-push\/","title":{"rendered":"DeMarcus Cousins Believes He Can Contribute to Kings Making a Playoff Push"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>The <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.slamonline.com\/?s=mike+brown\" data-type=\"URL\" data-id=\"https:\/\/www.slamonline.com\/?s=mike+brown\" target=\"_blank\">Mike Brown<\/a>-led <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.slamonline.com\/?s=sacramento+kings\" data-type=\"URL\" data-id=\"https:\/\/www.slamonline.com\/?s=sacramento+kings\" target=\"_blank\">Sacramento Kings<\/a> are off to a 3-6 start to the new season, mainly because of their play in late situational moments of a game. Their last three games have all been decided by three points, with two being losses against the <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.slamonline.com\/?s=miami+heat\" data-type=\"URL\" data-id=\"https:\/\/www.slamonline.com\/?s=miami+heat\" target=\"_blank\">Miami Heat<\/a> and <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.slamonline.com\/?s=golden+state+warriors\" data-type=\"URL\" data-id=\"https:\/\/www.slamonline.com\/?s=golden+state+warriors\" target=\"_blank\">Golden State Warriors<\/a>, two teams that played in their respective Conference Finals last season. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A win against teams like that can build a spark to the locker, but being on the losing end creates questioning on where the Kings need to improve their roster. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"instagram-media\" data-instgrm-captioned=\"\" data-instgrm-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/CjlS-Jvspsj\/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading\" data-instgrm-version=\"14\" style=\" background:#FFF; 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flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;\"><\/div><\/div><\/div><div style=\"padding: 19% 0;\"><\/div> <div style=\"display:block; height:50px; margin:0 auto 12px; width:50px;\"><svg width=\"50px\" height=\"50px\" viewBox=\"0 0 60 60\" version=\"1.1\" xmlns=\"https:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" xmlns:xlink=\"https:\/\/www.w3.org\/1999\/xlink\"><g stroke=\"none\" stroke-width=\"1\" fill=\"none\" fill-rule=\"evenodd\"><g transform=\"translate(-511.000000, -20.000000)\" fill=\"#000000\"><g><path d=\"M556.869,30.41 C554.814,30.41 553.148,32.076 553.148,34.131 C553.148,36.186 554.814,37.852 556.869,37.852 C558.924,37.852 560.59,36.186 560.59,34.131 C560.59,32.076 558.924,30.41 556.869,30.41 M541,60.657 C535.114,60.657 530.342,55.887 530.342,50 C530.342,44.114 535.114,39.342 541,39.342 C546.887,39.342 551.658,44.114 551.658,50 C551.658,55.887 546.887,60.657 541,60.657 M541,33.886 C532.1,33.886 524.886,41.1 524.886,50 C524.886,58.899 532.1,66.113 541,66.113 C549.9,66.113 557.115,58.899 557.115,50 C557.115,41.1 549.9,33.886 541,33.886 M565.378,62.101 C565.244,65.022 564.756,66.606 564.346,67.663 C563.803,69.06 563.154,70.057 562.106,71.106 C561.058,72.155 560.06,72.803 558.662,73.347 C557.607,73.757 556.021,74.244 553.102,74.378 C549.944,74.521 548.997,74.552 541,74.552 C533.003,74.552 532.056,74.521 528.898,74.378 C525.979,74.244 524.393,73.757 523.338,73.347 C521.94,72.803 520.942,72.155 519.894,71.106 C518.846,70.057 518.197,69.06 517.654,67.663 C517.244,66.606 516.755,65.022 516.623,62.101 C516.479,58.943 516.448,57.996 516.448,50 C516.448,42.003 516.479,41.056 516.623,37.899 C516.755,34.978 517.244,33.391 517.654,32.338 C518.197,30.938 518.846,29.942 519.894,28.894 C520.942,27.846 521.94,27.196 523.338,26.654 C524.393,26.244 525.979,25.756 528.898,25.623 C532.057,25.479 533.004,25.448 541,25.448 C548.997,25.448 549.943,25.479 553.102,25.623 C556.021,25.756 557.607,26.244 558.662,26.654 C560.06,27.196 561.058,27.846 562.106,28.894 C563.154,29.942 563.803,30.938 564.346,32.338 C564.756,33.391 565.244,34.978 565.378,37.899 C565.522,41.056 565.552,42.003 565.552,50 C565.552,57.996 565.522,58.943 565.378,62.101 M570.82,37.631 C570.674,34.438 570.167,32.258 569.425,30.349 C568.659,28.377 567.633,26.702 565.965,25.035 C564.297,23.368 562.623,22.342 560.652,21.575 C558.743,20.834 556.562,20.326 553.369,20.18 C550.169,20.033 549.148,20 541,20 C532.853,20 531.831,20.033 528.631,20.18 C525.438,20.326 523.257,20.834 521.349,21.575 C519.376,22.342 517.703,23.368 516.035,25.035 C514.368,26.702 513.342,28.377 512.574,30.349 C511.834,32.258 511.326,34.438 511.181,37.631 C511.035,40.831 511,41.851 511,50 C511,58.147 511.035,59.17 511.181,62.369 C511.326,65.562 511.834,67.743 512.574,69.651 C513.342,71.625 514.368,73.296 516.035,74.965 C517.703,76.634 519.376,77.658 521.349,78.425 C523.257,79.167 525.438,79.673 528.631,79.82 C531.831,79.965 532.853,80.001 541,80.001 C549.148,80.001 550.169,79.965 553.369,79.82 C556.562,79.673 558.743,79.167 560.652,78.425 C562.623,77.658 564.297,76.634 565.965,74.965 C567.633,73.296 568.659,71.625 569.425,69.651 C570.167,67.743 570.674,65.562 570.82,62.369 C570.966,59.17 571,58.147 571,50 C571,41.851 570.966,40.831 570.82,37.631\"><\/path><\/g><\/g><\/g><\/svg><\/div><div style=\"padding-top: 8px;\"> <div style=\" color:#3897f0; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:550; line-height:18px;\">View this post on Instagram<\/div><\/div><div style=\"padding: 12.5% 0;\"><\/div> <div style=\"display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;\"><div> <div style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);\"><\/div> <div style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;\"><\/div> <div style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);\"><\/div><\/div><div style=\"margin-left: 8px;\"> <div style=\" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;\"><\/div> <div style=\" width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg)\"><\/div><\/div><div style=\"margin-left: auto;\"> <div style=\" width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);\"><\/div> <div style=\" background-color: #F4F4F4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);\"><\/div> <div style=\" width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);\"><\/div><\/div><\/div> <div style=\"display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;\"> <div style=\" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;\"><\/div> <div style=\" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;\"><\/div><\/div><\/a><p style=\" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/CjlS-Jvspsj\/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading\" style=\" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none;\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">A post shared by Sacramento Kings (@sacramentokings)<\/a><\/p><\/div><\/blockquote> <script async=\"\" src=\"\/\/www.instagram.com\/embed.js\"><\/script>\n\n\n\n<p>The Kings find ways to look solid for four quarters by relying on the two-way prowess of former all-star <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.slamonline.com\/?s=domantas+sabonis\" data-type=\"URL\" data-id=\"https:\/\/www.slamonline.com\/?s=domantas+sabonis\" target=\"_blank\">Domantas Sabonis<\/a> and the point guard wizardry of <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.slamonline.com\/?s=De%27Aaron+Fox\" data-type=\"URL\" data-id=\"https:\/\/www.slamonline.com\/?s=De%27Aaron+Fox\" target=\"_blank\">De&#8217;Aaron Fox<\/a>. He currently averages 16.3 points, 11.1 rebounds (8th best in the League), and 6.1 assists per game. In the three games played in November, the center has averaged 36 minutes a game which is the most amongst others in his position. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In this case, the Kings&#8217; frontcourt depth isn&#8217;t as solid as Brown would have hoped to start the season. However, their 2010 fifth overall pick <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.slamonline.com\/?s=demarcus+cousins\" data-type=\"URL\" data-id=\"https:\/\/www.slamonline.com\/?s=demarcus+cousins\" target=\"_blank\">DeMarcus Cousins<\/a> believes he has the intangibles at 32-years-old to push the Kings out of their 16-year playoff drought in a recent Twitter reply.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p> <\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Would love to help sac get back to the playoffs \ud83d\ude4f\ud83c\udfff<\/p>&mdash; DeMarcus Cousins (@boogiecousins) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/boogiecousins\/status\/1590407195698810880?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">November 9, 2022<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>In his seven years with the Kings from 2010-2017, Cousins averaged 21.1 points per game. His last two seasons with the franchise were one of the most dominant showings of a big in the modern era, as he averaged over 25 points a game to pair with a double-double in rebounds. Not to mention, Cousins also recorded a 56-point outing, the third most among active NBA centers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Boogie hasn&#8217;t been the same since tearing his <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.slamonline.com\/nba\/mri-reveals-demarcus-cousins-has-torn-quad\/\" data-type=\"URL\" data-id=\"https:\/\/www.slamonline.com\/nba\/mri-reveals-demarcus-cousins-has-torn-quad\/\" target=\"_blank\">quad<\/a> and <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.slamonline.com\/nba\/demarcus-cousins-suffers-possible-knee-injury\/\" data-type=\"URL\" data-id=\"https:\/\/www.slamonline.com\/nba\/demarcus-cousins-suffers-possible-knee-injury\/\" target=\"_blank\">ACL<\/a>but is still capable of turning back the clock to his All-Star level of play. In his current form, Boogie is a reliable force down low; he can spread the floor as an occasional floor spacer and rebound at a fearsome pace off the bench. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Cousins has become a journeyman in the latter stages of his career due to the injuries above. However, being a significant contributor on a playoff squad could help him become a franchise legend and help him land a job on another team if he so chooses.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Mike Brown-led Sacramento Kings are off to a 3-6 start to the new season, mainly because of their play in late situational moments of a game. Their last three games have all been decided by three points, with two being losses against the Miami Heat and Golden State Warriors, two teams that played in [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":491,"featured_media":765397,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[62718],"tags":[607,13380,799,120],"yst_prominent_words":[],"class_list":["post-765391","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sacramento-kings","tag-demarcus-cousins","tag-domantas-sabonis","tag-mike-brown","tag-sacramento-kings"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.slamonline.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/765391","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.slamonline.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.slamonline.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.slamonline.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/491"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.slamonline.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=765391"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.slamonline.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/765391\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":765401,"href":"https:\/\/www.slamonline.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/765391\/revisions\/765401"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.slamonline.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/765397"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.slamonline.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=765391"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.slamonline.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=765391"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.slamonline.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=765391"},{"taxonomy":"yst_prominent_words","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.slamonline.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/yst_prominent_words?post=765391"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}