DeMarcus Cousins had the best years of his NBA career during his final three seasons in Sacramento.
Boogie was the Kings' fifth overall pick in the 20210 NBA Draft out of Kentucky. After making the All-Rookie First Team in 2011, Cousins continued to improve year after year and had his best individual year during the 2015-16 NBA season, where he averaged a career-high 26.9 points while also grabbing 11.5 boards per contest.
During his recent interview on the Knuckleheads podcast , the two-time NBA All-Star credited fellow Kentucky product Rajon Rondo for his breakthrough campaign.
"Shout out to 'Do," said Boogie. "Honestly, like it was Rondo, bro, he put that battery in my back, he put things into perspective for me, he helped me understand the game more , he slowed the game down for me."
Rondo's one-year stint with the Kings
After being the starting point guard for the 2008 Boston Celtics champion team, Rondo was traded to the Dallas Mavericks during the 2014-15 season. But instead of resigning the Mavs that summer, Rajon chose to join Cousins in Sacramento on a one-year deal.
The two former Wildcats displayed great chemistry during their one-year partnership in Sac Town. While Cousins had a career year in scoring, Rondo led the NBA in assists with 11.7 dimes per contest, matching his personal best, which he set in 2012 while still in Boston.
More than the numbers, it was Rajon's leadership and mentorship that DeMarcus found most helpful.
"I started paying more attention to details, just everything kind of slowed down, and that was just that Rondo effect for me," added Boogie. "That's still my guy to this day; he still coached me, and I love that about him."
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Boogie had no clue he was going to be traded
Even when Rondo left for Chicago after that campaign, Cousins continued his strong play and domination. However, Boogie ended up getting traded to the New Orleans Pelicans in a deal that surprised and embarrassed him while he was enjoying his second All-Star weekend.
"Everybody was looking at me, so it was just like, 'Damn, what just happened?'" DeMarcus said on Podcast P . "I don't really know what to believe right now, and obviously, you caught up in the moment is unexpected, but I mean, in that moment of the video, I just had to tell me, like, hold yourself together until we figure out what the fu** is going on. But that sh** is embarrassing as hell; I had no clue. I found out in that video."
Interestingly, Rondo followed Cousins to New Orleans again. With Anthony Davis also there, they led the Pelicans to a 48-34 regular season and the second round of the playoffs, where they were eliminated by the defending champions Golden State Warriors. After that, Rondo left for the Lakers, and Boogie signed with the Dubs.
Related: DeMarcus Cousins remembers the crazy hype around Greg Oden in high school: "They were saying he was the next Shaquille O'Neal"
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