Getty Golden State Warriors center DeMarcus Cousins
The day the Golden State Warriors and their fans have anxiously awaited this season is finally almost here. And while it’s been a long and somewhat stressful stretch, we’re now just days away from All-Star center DeMarcus Cousins making his debut with the team. After the rumblings began that he was getting near a return following a ruptured left Achilles tendon which cut his 2017-18 season short, all that was left to do was wait.
And as ESPN’s Marc J. Spears reported, Warriors coach Steve Kerr revealed just over one week ago that Cousins’ return would happen “somewhere in the neighborhood” of Friday, January 18. This date marked a road matchup with the Los Angeles Clippers which will be nationally televised on ESPN.
These rumblings understandably ramped up excitement, and there was no slowing it down from there.
DeMarcus Cousins’ Return Date & Reaction
Shortly after that, ESPN’s Nick Friedell confirmed that Cousins was indeed on track to play Friday against the Clippers. And with just one game left for the center to watch from the sidelines – against the New Orleans Pelicans, he took to social media to send a message prior to the return.
“Sunny days wouldn’t be special if it wasn’t for rain, joy wouldn’t feel so good if it wasn’t for pain” Cousins tweeted.
“ Sunny days wouldn’t be special if it wasn’t for rain, joy wouldn’t feel so good if it wasn’t for pain “… #TheResurgence
#0Doubt
For anyone (including myself) who hasn’t had to rehab from an injury as serious as the one Cousins went through, it’s tough to envision what the build-up to Friday must feel like. After all, the 28-year-old is arguably one of the best big men in the NBA and made four consecutive All-Star games from 2015-18.
DeMarcus Cousins’ Dominance Prior to Injury
While the man dubbed as ‘Boogie’ spent (just under) the first seven seasons of his career with the Sacramento Kings, he consistently improved over the years. As a rookie in 2010-11, Cousins averaged 14.1 points and 8.6 rebounds. By the time his final partial season with the franchise rolled around in 2016-17, he was averaging 27.8 points and 10.6 rebounds prior to being traded.
The deal sent him to the Pelicans, where he’d team up with another young star in Anthony Davis. In the first full season Cousins and Davis played together, the former Sacramento big man averaged 25.2 points and 12.9 rebounds while shooting 47 percent from the field through 48 games. Unfortunately, that’s when the injury occurred and derailed his season.
It’s not completely clear how the NBA free agency market looked for Cousins this past offseason, but when he signed a one-year deal with the Warriors, it shook the league. There have been chatter Cousins may be interested in re-signing with Golden State as well beyond this season. Whether that plays out remains to be seen, but the first step before that even becomes a conversation is seeing him in action Friday.
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