Nov 26, 2014; Houston, TX, USA; Sacramento Kings center DeMarcus Cousins (15) reacts after a play during the third quarter against the Houston Rockets at Toyota Center. The Rockets won 102-89. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

It wasn’t long ago that DeMarcus Cousins was thought of as an immature hothead that didn’t have much of a chance at fulfilling his potential because his attitude had a different agenda.

Fast forward to this season and one would see that version of Cousins has disappeared. In fact, Cousins has emerged as the NBA‘s most dominant center and is well on his way to becoming a realization of the player that many thought he could turn into.

This season, Cousins has been the focus of the Sacramento Kings‘ offense, and the strategy has proven to be quite effective. The Kings, despite being in the lottery last season, have started out 11-11 in one of the toughest conferences to ever take shape in the NBA.

The Kings’ success starts with Cousins’ improvement on both ends of the floor, averaging career highs in many statistics across the board. Improvements in his shooting, rebounding, playmaking and defense cannot be taken lightly.

So what has Cousins’ improved play done for the Kings’ overall performance? Well, his play has landed the Kings in the top five in the league in both offensive and defensive rebounding percentage, and in the top 15 in offensive rating.

Cousins’ play has impacted the Kings so much because he gives the team a reliable low-post scorer to go to during the game and in crunch time situations. Cousins’ focus has also allowed him to start down the path of being a leader to the younger guys on the team, something that is much needed as this is still a very young basketball team.

With Cousins and Rudy Gay playing great offensive basketball, the future for the Kings looks bright. Yes, Cousins will need to continue to keep his attitude and technical fouls in check, but all signs this season point to him doing that and finishing the season as a true MVP candidate.

Cousins is one of the top five players in the league in terms of player efficiency rating, and I do not see him falling out of that standing anytime soon.

Cousins has been separating himself from the rest of the league’s centers because of his improved effort and overall size and athleticism. Very few centers in the NBA are on par with Cousins in terms of physical talents, and adding in the fact that Cousins is becoming more of a skilled player should put fear in anyone trying to go up against him.

Look out NBA, Cousins has quietly transformed into the league’s best center.

*Statistics Courtesy of Basketball-Reference.