DeMarcus Cousins Draft Profile
By Bryan Rose
The fallout from the Kings again falling in the NBA Draft Lotto has been loud and wrist slitting worthy. Not once in their 13 attempts have the Kings ever moved up in the lotto – not even a single position. Thankfully, there appears to be some serious available talent at 5th position this year, so, we’ll go through some potential prospects here at A Royal Pain the next few weeks up until the draft.
Today, we start with what appears to be the most likely pick (according to mock drafts and my basketball pants), Kentucky center DeMarcus Cousins.
Cons: Cousins has been known to have some “issues”…somewhat of a cry baby, a bit explosive of a personality…you know, a typical NBA player/NFL wide receiver. Another main concern when it comes to Cousins is his body fat percentage. Don’t get me wrong – he’s not fat. But, he’s got a little meat on his bones for a guy with a skinny frame. His body fat percentage ranks second highest in the draft and it’s causing some teams to question his work ethic off the court, especially with the rumors about his immaturity. He has moments of lapse where he losses his focus and simply goes into Brad Miller, piss my pants, I’m taking my ball and going home moments. And frankly, Brad cost me way too many TV’s to watch that all over again…
Pros: Cousins is a physical specimen. Seriously. He’s 19 years old (wont be 20 until mid August) and has a body frame more advanced that say, Al Jefferson or Dwight Howard coming out of high school. Cousins coach at Kentucky, John Callipari, said Cousins is the best big man he’s ever coached and said he has the ability to be a much more offensive version of Marcus Camby. And if you combine Camby’s defensive skill set with an offensive skill set…you have a franchise center. Cousins is by far the best center going into the draft and has the ability to easily play impact minutes at the NBA level. Combining his defensive skill set with his offensive set makes him a somewhat rare draft prospect and one that the Kings need to take the chance on if he’s available.
Rumors have the Timberwolves (most likely the first place Cousins could land) drafting Syracuse small forward Wesley Johnson at the 4th position, so if Cousins does drop to the Kings at fifth, I’d have to expect they’d take him…well, maybe more hope. His issues do concern me a little, but, he is a rare talent and the pool of players behind him in the draft all have their own unique concerns which makes Cousins my current favorite in the draft.
Here are a few profiles of Cousins:
Physicals:
Height – 6’11
Weight – 292
Age – 19
Wingspan – 7.6 feet
And a mix of Cousins: