On Monday, USA Basketball announced its 30 finalists for the 2016 Olympic roster in Rio de Janeiro. Within those 30 players was Kings center DeMarcus Cousins, who is being considered for the condensed 12-man roster for August’s Summer Games. Cousins is the only player in the NBA that currently ranks among the League’s top five players in both points and rebounds per game with 26.1 and 11.4, respectively.
His play has earned him the praise of being considered the best big man in the League by many, including sportswriter Chris Sheridan, who wrote in a recent blog projecting the 12-man roster, “he is putting up Shaq numbers this season, he is unquestionably the best center in the NBA and he has learned the ins and outs of the international game… You don’t leave a guy like this behind.”
Dime Magazine’s Matthew Rothstein shared similar sentiment by stating “if Mike Krzyzewski starts a center, it should be Boogie.”
Big Cuz himself is looking forward to the potential of representing the nation, adding, “It’s not about going out there and scoring 30 (points). It’s about coming together and winning a gold medal, representing your country. It’s bigger than just going out there trying to score buckets.”
In 2014, the All-Star played on the FIBA World Cup team that won the gold medal in Spain. In tournament play, he averaged 9.8 points and 5.7 rebounds per game. If chosen this summer, Cousins will be playing in his first Olympic games.
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