DeMarcus Cousins Has Lost His Confidence

The Sacramento Kings are on a three-game losing streak, and center DeMarcus Cousins (whose rebounding and scoring numbers are down) says that he is discouraged by his play this season. The third-year pro is beating himself up over his struggles. Per the Sac Bee: “So what’s wrong with DeMarcus Cousins anyway? His game, not his attitude. What happened to his game? One month into his third season with the Kings, the Big Cuz is in a massive funk. His numbers are down in all the pertinent categories. He isn’t running the floor with the same energy or commitment of last season. He repeatedly is finding himself in foul trouble and on the bench, or in trouble with his coach and on the bench. And he doesn’t have any answers. ‘I’ve been terrible,’ Cousins said bluntly but softly. ‘We’re losing. I don’t feel like I made improvements from last year. I really don’t have any confidence at all. I’m just trying to think my way through it, but right now, I’m not finding anything.’ Based on Cousins’ own personal growth chart, this was supposed to be a year of appreciable professional development. He came to training camp talking about the All-Star Game, about pushing the Kings toward the playoffs, about taking what he learned from his experiences with Team USA into the 2012-13 season.”