Is DeMarcus Cousins’ return just what the Warriors need?
4:02 am | January 18, 2019 | Go to Source | Author:
8:00 AM ET
OAKLAND, Calif. — After a half-season of anticipation, waiting to see when the Golden State Warriors might break out their newest weapon, DeMarcus Cousins is ready to debut. The former All-Star, who hasn’t played an NBA game since Jan. 26, 2018, is expected to make his highly anticipated Warriors debut Friday night against the LA Clippers. And though the Warriors are excited to welcome Cousins to the court, coach Steve Kerr and his players know there will be an adjustment period.
“It won’t be simple,” Kerr told ESPN of working Cousins into the lineup. “Because he’s a dominant player. It’s a lot easier to fit in a standstill 3-point shooter. A guy who’s going to space the floor and not handle the ball a whole lot. He’s used to having the ball in his hands an awful lot. But on this team we got a lot of guys who have the ball in their hands, so it will take some time for sure.”
Kerr isn’t complaining. He knows the Warriors have an embarrassment of riches when it comes to All-Star-caliber players on the roster. He’s just affirming the point that was lost in the aftermath of Cousins signing a one-year, $5 million contract in July: How will the 28-year-old actually fit when the games count?
The track record of players returning from Achilles injuries is not great, especially for players of Cousins’ size. The former All-Star has mostly worked out in secret behind a curtain at the Warriors’ practice facility, making it hard to gauge how well he’s moving on the court, but Kerr said last week that Cousins was close to ready for game action.
“The last week, his scrimmaging looks much better,” Kerr said. “It seems to me like he’s gotten through a barrier conditioning-wise. It’s not easy for anybody coming off an Achilles injury, much less a center who carries a lot of weight and size. The thing that everybody who has an Achilles comeback talks about is the movement in space and how you have to get comfortable with those movements and that it’s not just a sprained ankle or knee or something where once it’s healed you feel normal. “