Sacramento Kings center DeMarcus Cousins has been voted by NBA coaches to his third straight All-Star game as a reserve in recognition of his stellar season thus far.
Cousins, who is averaging a career-high 28 points per game, 10.2 rebounds and 4.4 assists, will also reportedly display his unique big-man talents in the Skills Challenge during All-Star Weekend in New Orleans from Feb. 17-19.
To this point, the center is fifth in the league in scoring and one of only two players with averages of at least 28 points, 10 rebounds and four assists, joining triple-double machine Russell Westbrook. The center’s career-high 36.2 percent shooting from behind the arc on a staggering 4.7 attempts per game has also been very impressive as the importance of the three-pointer continues to increase in today’s game.
Overall, however, Sacramento is just 18-27 on the season and currently sits in 10th place in the Western Conference, though only 1.5 games back of the eighth-place Denver Nuggets. The lack of playoff position typically plays a large role for coaches when selecting reserves for the All-Star Game, but not in Cousins’ case.
The announcement comes after the center led the Kings to their most impressive win of the season, a 116-112 overtime victory over the defending champion Cleveland Cavaliers Wednesday night.
DeMarcus Cousins (3), along w. Mitch Richmond (6), Chris Webber (4) and Peja Stojakovic (3) only multiple-time All-Stars in Sacramento era.
— Sean Cunningham (@SeanCunningham) January 27, 2017
