Since being selected fifth overall by the Sacramento Kings in the 2010 NBA Draft, the uber-talented DeMarcus Cousins has been one of the most misunderstood personalities in the game. Throughout his tenure in Sacramento, Cousins maintained a shaky relationship with Kings management and was known for being a player incapable of keeping his temper under control.
As Boogie has aged and matured simultaneously, he knows better now. While he may still pick up a ticky-tack technical foul here and there, a lot of the extra attention attached to Cousins and his antics has begun to dwindle. Despite Cousins showing strides with his maturity, we all know the Kings decided to deal the center to the New Orleans Pelicans prior to the trade deadline in exchange for rookie Buddy Hield and other assets.
Last night for the first time since being traded, Boogie faced off against his old squad and despite his time in Sacramento not always being the smoothest, it was all love between the two parties. For Cousins, he had to be feeling off all night (though his play didn’t show it) competing against some guys he went to war with for years. Here’s what Cousins had to say after the 117-89 Pelicans victory, following from ESPN’s Justin Verrier:
“It was very weird, actually,” Cousins said after a 117-89 Pelicans victory at the Smoothie King Center. “You practice against those guys and to actually come out against them in a game setting … it’s a very weird feeling. I’m so used to those guys being on my side.”
Cousins said at one point he looked over to the sideline at Kings coach Dave Joerger like he used to.
“It was weird for me,” he said. “At the end of the day, I’m just glad we got the win.”
It shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone that DeMarcus Cousins felt ‘very weird’ facing off against his whole squad. Though internally he may have felt funny, Cousins enjoyed one of his better multi-faceted games in a Pelicans uniform, going off for 37 points, 13 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 blocks, and 3 steals.
Though the Pels are out of playoff contention, this offseason should pay dividends for them next season as Boogie and fellow frontcourt superstar Anthony Davis will have a whole summer to mesh fully.
