Do the Kings over-rely on DeMarcus Cousins?

Contrary to a few Lakers fans’ beliefs, channeling an offense through one player can produce more damage than good.

Take for example Corey Maggette two years ago, who led the Charlotte Bobcats in usage percentage but shot only 37.3 percent from the floor in a seven-win campaign.

A more recent case in point is Kobe Bryant today, who leads the NBA in usage percentage and shots launched but is only making 39 percent of his releases. The Los Angeles Lakers offense is third in the league in field goals attempted per game but 22nd in field goal accuracy and 24th in assists. Coupled with poor defense, the Lakers are a bottom dweller in the Western Conference.

The No. 2 leader in usage percentage this season behind Bryant is DeMarcus Cousins. Michael Malone makes a concerted effort for his team to feed the monster, installing plays that deliver the ball to Cousins on the elbow or the block time and time again. It’s hard to argue tossing the rock more to a big who’s shooting 51.2 percent from the floor, but there’s room for improvement.

Cousins takes a ton of tough shots. 69.1 percent of his field goal attempts are over tight or very tight coverage (within four feet of a defender), according to NBA.com. He’s finding better looks than Bryant (75.4 percent), but the center isn’t as efficient as other big men like Anthony Davis (64.5 percent) or Marc Gasol (53.4 percent).

Whether it’s the offense’s predictability or Cousins’ dominance, opposing defenses regularly collapse on the center. This would imply that opponents are leaving open shooters, which the Kings do possess. Cousins is averaging 2.7 assists per game this season, which is second-lowest for his career, and while he’s found Ben McLemore for 11 dimes through 15 games, he’s only assisted Rudy Gay five times and Darren Collison once.

Cousins has assisted frontcourt counterpart Jason Thompson five times, and their conflicting styles and the priority to set up Boogie have made the Rider product an offensive afterthought. Thompson is dropping a career-low 4.2 points per contest, despite the fact he can face up opponents, put back misses and knock a jumper. Cousins’ presence in the lane is diminishing the usefulness of his fellow starter, as his offensive chances have been reduced to crumbs.

Then there’s the freebies. Between the relentless double and triple-teams, defenders strip Cousins with decent success. The 24-year-old big is spilling a career-high 3.7 turnovers a night, a significant reason why the Kings rank 26th in the NBA in turnovers a game. Points allowed off turnovers have sabotaged Sacramento this season, putting their still-improving defense into less desirable transition situations.

As the Kings chase down fastbreaks, so does Cousins, and combined with the burden he carries on offense, it results in exhaustion. Malone is managing his minutes (32 per game), but the center didn’t get a chance to rest with Team USA this summer. To compete for a playoff seed, Malone will likely have to bump up his floor time, which makes no guarantee Cousins will be able to maintain his level of play through April.

And like a chain smoker trying to quit cold turkey, the Kings offense, which is so heavily dependent on Cousins, goes haywire when he’s removed from the lineup. Sacramento is 1-15 in Cousins’ last 16 absences (the win coming yesterday after dropping three straight this season), as Malone’s one-dimensional attack loses its axle. The Kings coach can hope for a Ryan Hollins or Reggie Evans explosion, but that’s far from reliable, and inexcusable given the balanced talent on the roster.

Never to confuse Cousins with Tony Battie, the King’s impact is immensely positive. He’s producing a career-best 23.5 points, 12.6 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game. Cousins draws 8.3 free throw attempts per match, which has helped Sacramento lead the NBA in charity attempts and makes. In his 15 appearances this season the Kings are 9-6, but six losses imply the team isn’t perfect. One area to probe is the entertaining player who scores 33.1 percent of his team’s points when on the floor.

Cousins is a beast, but are the Kings too reliant of their franchise cornerstone?

Cowbell Kingdom would like to hear from you.