DeMarcus Cousins joined his new Golden State Warriors on Jan. 18, with plenty of questions yet to answer over the course of the regular season. Among them, for coach Steve Kerr, was his defensive prowess, especially guarding pick-and-roll action — which have proven his greatest concern, now playing in a switch-happy defense.

“The thing we realized very quickly is he’s a lot better against pick-and-roll than we realized,” Steve Kerr told Anthony Slater of The Athletic. “Because he has a great feel of playing two guys coming at him, playing center field, taking charges — which, for whatever reason, the refs keep calling blocks. Almost every time, the ref comes over after and admits, ‘Yeah, I think I missed that one.'”

Cousins has drawn 11 charges, a total tied for most in the team, despite playing in only in 30 games this season.

Asked of what he does well in pick-and-roll defense, Kerr was quick to point it out.

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“Center field,” Steve Kerr said. “He plays that cat-and-mouse game really well. He has a great knack for that. Then, even though he’s not a high jumper, his verticality is effective because his arms are so long and he has really quick hands.

“If the ball is anywhere in the area, whether a guy’s got it dribbling, bounce pass or whether it’s exposed, he’s getting his hands on that ball. It’s been interesting to watch. That’s the natural place for everyone to attack in the league — pick-and-roll at the 5-man. We do that. Everyone does. He looks like a target, but you watch the tape, he figures it out and gets it done. He’s good.”

DeMarcus Cousins might still have a tough time with teams like the Houston Rockets, which relentlessly bait big men into playing one-on-one against their scoring assassin James Harden. Kevon Looney did a phenomenal job containing Harden to the best of his ability, but he's younger and more nimble of foot than the 6-foot-11 behemoth, which could make for some matchup switches.

Yet his ability to play that center fielder position defensively might keep him on the floor longer than initially anticipated.