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One of the paramount questions surrounding DeMarcus Cousins' return to action with the Golden State Warriors was whether or not he would have an adverse effect on their team defense.
Despite being dealt with some fairly unjust criticisms early on, Cousins has actually been a frontcourt anchor for a team that has simply regressed on the defensive side this season.
In fact, although recent Warriors signee Andrew Bogut was brought in mostly for defense and rebounding, Cousins has posted a better defensive rating than the Australian.
Additionally, Cousins' willingness to lay his body on the line and draw charges has drawn plenty of admiration from his teammates and coaches. Cousins and Golden State head coach Steve Kerr spoke with Mark Medina of The Mercury News about the skill and positional awareness required to draw a charge:
Fourth, the Warriors have noticed Cousins averaging a team-leading .37 charges per game, a skill Cousins called “a lost art.”
“I don’t feel a lot of guys want to sacrifice their body,” Cousins said. “It’s not fun taking them, obviously. It hurts for some. Some people don’t know how to fall. I do.”
How does he do it?
“You got to be smart to be a charge taker. You have to be there early and anticipate the play,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. “DeMarcus is really smart. He’s a great center fielder for our defense. He plays behind the play and a lot of times he’ll step in outside of that charge circle and take the charge.”
Cousins has been criticized in NBA circles for being selfish and lacking in effort in the past, but that has hardly been the case it Golden State, where he has reemerged as one of the best centers in basketball.
