Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr believes center DeMarcus Cousins is getting heavily criticized lately because he's the new guy on the team.
The Warriors are just 5-5 in their last five games. Cousins has been getting bashed by the media for his poor defense, but Kerr says that's unfair since basketball is a team sport and there are four other guys on the floor with Boogie.
Article Continues Below“I know DeMarcus has been taking a brunt of the criticism, but it’s a five-man game,” Kerr said, via Jeff Faraudo of The Mercury News. “Everybody was competing (Friday) night, everybody was flying around. So we all looked better defensively.
“Again, the focus is on DeMarcus just because he’s the new guy, a different piece than we’ve had. It’s about all five guys.”
DeMarcus Cousins has played in 18 games this season. The Warriors are 14-4 in those games.
Boogie is averaging 15.3 points, 8.0 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game. The All-Star big man is shooting 45.0 percent from the field, 24.6 percent from beyond the arc and 76.6 percent from the free-throw line.
Golden State has an offensive rating of 111.7 when Cousins is on the court. That rating jumps up to 117.7 when Boogie is on the bench.
The Warriors still have the best record in the Western Conference. Cousins is going to get more comfortable as the season moves along.