Sacramento Kings big man DeMarcus Cousins has been told he will be on the USA men’s basketball team for the 2016 Rio Olympics, according to ESPN’s Marc Spears:
Kings’ DeMarcus Cousins has been told he has earned a roster spot on USA Basketball’s 2016 Rio Olympics team, a source told The Undefeated.
— Marc J. Spears (@MarcJSpearsESPN) June 10, 2016
The 6’11”, 270-pound Cousins averaged 26.9 points, 11.5 rebounds, 3.3 assists, and 1.6 blocks for the Kings in the 2015-2016 NBA season.
Cousins, 25, is extremely skilled, with his game translating well for both the power forward and center positions. He’ll too much for many international teams to handle, and should be a dominant force for Team USA in Rio.
When it comes to Cousins, the main questions have always been in regard to his attitude. But Coach Mike Krzyzewski usually works well with players, and Cousins has to be in good spirits to actually be on a great team, after spending his entire six-year NBA career on a miserable Sacramento squad.
While we’ve learned today that Cousins will be on Team USA, we’ve also learned that Oklahoma City Thunder star point guard Russell Westbrook has chosen to not participate in the Olympics:
Russell Westbrook is pulling out of consideration for the 2016 Olympics. — Royce Young (@royceyoung) June 10, 2016
