Programming note: Watch the pregame edition of Warriors Outsiders on Friday night at 6 PT, streaming live on the MyTeams app.
Warriors center DeMarcus Cousins is averaging 15.5 points, 8.1 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 1.2 steals and 1.3 blocks over 25.2 minutes this season.
He is shooting 45 percent overall, but below 25 percent from 3-point territory.
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On Thursday afternoon, Warriors general manager Bob Myers provided his assessment on Boogie's first 17 games.
"Working DeMarcus in, I think he's probably taken too much criticism," the two-time NBA Executive of the Year said on 95.7 The Game. "I think we probably all deserve it in some respects. When we falter as a team, I think it lands on all of us.
"I understand he's probably an easy target because he's the newest guy ... defensively, we're bad with him, we're bad without him. We've been bad.
"There's still an assimilation period that we're going through. But I do think he's trying. He's given effort and we're gonna figure out the right schemes. There's bigs in the NBA that don't switch -- we're trying to figure out what are the best coverages for him.
Golden State Warriors
"I think DeMarcus is still a tremendous weapon to have on our ballclub."
The numbers do support Myers' assertion that the defense has struggled no matter who is out there. Golden State's defensive rating is 108.6 with Cousins on the court and 108.9 when he is on the bench.
Even still, there's no doubt that the Warriors' starting center is struggling specifically with defending beyond the arc. Stepping out onto the perimeter and effectively contesting 3-pointers is not something he's comfortable doing.
Last Saturday, the 76ers exploited Cousins repeatedly as Mike Scott and Jonah Bolden combined to make nine 3-pointers.
Because of this, the reality is that Cousins' minutes in the playoffs likely will be dictated by certain matchups.
[RELATED: DeMarcus Cousins getting attacked by Warriors opponents on defense]
On the other end of the floor, the four-time All-Star has been a force at times and is definitely creating some problems for the opposition.
"Offensively, he's given us optionality on the block -- which we're trying to still figure out the best way to utilize it," Myers said. "Steph and Klay and Kevin and Draymond have never had a low post presence. I think it probably becomes more important in the playoffs when we struggle.
"We're still getting used to it in the regular season."
The good news is that the Warriors still have about five weeks to figure stuff out before the playoffs begin. As Joel Embiid would say...
... trust the process.