The addition of grizzled veteran Matt Barnes always comes as a side of relief for any team that gets him, as players rather be on his side than against him.
Perhaps one of his biggest fans is his current teammate DeMarcus Cousins, who didn't shy away from raving about him after a 105-96 preseason loss to the Golden State Warriors on Thursday night.
“I love him,” Cousins told reporters post-game. “Matt will be the first to tell you that, I've been trying to get this dude here for a while now. He's a true competitor, leaves it all out on the floor and you just have to appreciate guys like that. I think he's a great role model for younger guys on how to approach the game on a nightly basis. It's never a doubt in my mind if he's gonna be ready.”
Barnes was aggressive during his 21 minutes of play, scoring 12 points and snatching a game-high eight rebounds to go with four assists, four steals and three triples.
Cousins went on to nod the concept of Barnes' tenacity rubbing off on the rest of the team.
“That's the identity we wanted to take,” Cousins said. “But we need all five guys on the floor playing the exact same way. If that is the case, we'll be a really tough team to beat.”
The Kings face their next preseason test against Israel's Maccabi Haifa on Monday at 7:30 p.m. at the Golden 1 Center in Sacramento.
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