Karl calls Kings' Cousins best NBA center; Boogie says 'It's not even about that'
Kings coach George Karl was happy to see his team beat the Lakers behind a dominant effort from DeMarcus Cousins, putting Sacramento on pace to make the Western Conference playoffs.
DMC has dropped 30+ pts in 7 of his past 9 GP! ??? 31.7 PPG / 50% FG% / 13.7 RPG @SacramentoKings are 6-3 pic.twitter.com/W4XihSuPk9
— NBA.com/Stats (@nbastats) January 21, 2016
Karl, like many in the basketball community, has been impressed with Cousins' exceptional on-court performances as of late. Cousins has scored 30 or more points in seven of his last nine games this month. He averages 31.7 points per game, shooting .500 from the field with an incredible 13.7 rebounds per game. Sacramento may be 18-23 this season, but they're 9-3 when Cousins and rookie Willie Cauley-Stein are in the starting lineup together.
"DeMarcus has shown at a high, high level that he's an All-Star," said Karl, in the postgame interview via Comcast Sports. "Is there a better center playing basketball in the NBA right now? I don't think there is."
VIDEO: Karl: Cousins is an All-Star, best center in #NBA https://t.co/O8959kvKGQ #SacKings #KingsTalk pic.twitter.com/hcBuML9DXp
— Comcast SportsNet (@CSNAuthentic) January 21, 2016
Karl added that Cousins provides value on both ends the court for offense and defense and he's worked on his efficiency, noting that Cousins has avoided "high volume" nights of shooting, and that his assist-rate has spiked recently as well.
But when Cousins was asked if he agreed with claims about being at the top of the game, he was quick to correct the reporter.
VIDEO: Cousins takes exception to question about being #NBA's best center https://t.co/xa2PZcHHB4 #SacKings pic.twitter.com/QMjPSaowB3
— Comcast SportsNet (@CSNAuthentic) January 21, 2016
"That's not even a question," responded Cousins, defiantly. "It's not even about that. I feel I could still improve in so many ways. ... It's about playing the right way and helping this team get to the next level."
Among qualified centers, Cousins leads the NBA in scoring this season with 26.2 points per game. Brooklyn's Brook Lopez is second, with 19.8 per game. Cousins scores over ten more points per games than Minnesota's Karl-Anthony Towns, Milwaukee's Greg Monroe, Atlanta's Al Horford and Houston's Dwight Howard.
When it comes to rebounding, the Kings big man ranks fourth with 12.1 per game, behind Detroit's Andre Drummond, DeAndre Jordan from the Clippers and Houston's Howard.
Boogie's teammates have noticed his improvements as well. Sacramento's Omri Casspi has said Cousins should be in the conversation as an "MVP-type" player.
Though Cousins told the Sacramento Bee last week that he's not trying to prove he is the best big man in the NBA. Instead, he'd like to prove he can win games.
Bryan Kalbrosky produces digital content for FOXSports.com. For more, follow him on Twitter @BryanKalbrosky.
