DeMarcus Cousins dabbles with the 3-pointer

The Sacramento Kings found a way to bring intrigue to an otherwise mundane practice on Tuesday.

The culprit was DeMarcus Cousins, the perennial center of controversy. During shoot around, Cousins slowly worked his way around the arc from the left side, hoisting 3-pointers fed by assistant coach Dee Brown. Naturally, the strong shooter splashed home a few attempts.

This isn’t the first time Cousins has been seen practicing the deep ball at practice. And when considering that Reggie Evans shadowed the All-Star a few feet in on the same court and chucked a bunch of long twos, the idea of connecting this event to a game situation seems silly.

But head coach George Karl added to the speculation with his comments to the media.

“I think he can make that shot. I don’t know if he’s going to make it this year,” Karl said. “So I think it’s a stage of, if it’s a good one, why not try it. We’ll see. I think someday he can be a 35 percent 3-point shooter.”

Shortly after, recently hired assistant coach Vance Walberg added fuel to the conspiracy flames.

“Coach (Karl) is a big believer, which I’m a tremendous believer of, why shoot a 20-foot two that on the normal NBA average is 39 percent, when the NBA average for a 3 is 34 (percent) up there,” Walberg said. “And when you start going points per possession, and obviously it’s a much better shot. And then the other thing I love about it is when you bring him further out, it opens up your driving lanes.”

Unlike Evans, Cousins has used the deep ball in regular season floor time. Under the loose reign of head coach Keith Smart in the 2012-13 campaign, the pivot shot 4-of-22 triples for an 18.2 percentage, all career-highs. This season, Cousins is 1-for-2 from downtown, banging a wide open 3-pointer to complement a 39-point outing against the New York Knicks on December 27.

There’s no question Cousins can make the long ball, but whether he can do it efficiently is another story. As far as long twos go, the 6-foot-11, 270-pounder is a set, rhythm jump shooter, and a career 38.2 percent maker between 16 feet and the arc.

Nevertheless, he’s at his best when using his size, quickness and strength to abuse defenders down low, where he scores 63.8 percent of his attempts within three feet of the hoop as a pro.

This isn’t the first time a Kings big man has been tied to adding a 3-ball, and Cousins likely won’t be the last. But the fact Karl entertained the idea of allowing his star center to channel his inner Derrick Coleman just goes to show how this coaching staff is willing to think outside the box.

Cowbell Kingdom would like to know your thoughts.