Getty Golden State Warriors center DeMarcus Cousins
Following the scene on Monday night which featured Golden State Warriors star center DeMarcus Cousins grabbing his leg and limping to the locker room, fans feared the worst. Unfortunately, one of those scenarios is what played out, as the injury to Cousins’ leg is expected to keep him out for the remainder of the NBA playoffs.
The Athletic’s Shams Charania first reported the news, which is that Cousins’ MRI showed a torn left quad.
Warriors All-Star DeMarcus Cousins has been diagnosed with a torn left quad, league sources tell @TheAthleticNBA @Stadium. Devastating for Cousins, who had MRI early this morning.
The Warriors, who are less than 24 hours removed from giving up a 31-point lead and losing to the Los Angeles Clippers in Game 2 of their first-round series, will now have to shift gears. Earlier in the season, it was Kevon Looney who started at a center, but Steve Kerr and company have a few options.
Warriors’ Record Without DeMarcus Cousins This Season
Golden State posted a 57-25 record during the regular season, and Cousins played in 30 games after missing just over the first half of the year. He was also held out of a few games for rest purposes and while he was eased back into the mix.
When Cousins played, the Warriors posted a 23-7 mark and were 34-18 without him on the floor. This means Golden State won roughly 76.6 percent of their games with Cousins in the lineup and 65.3 percent when he was sidelined.
On the year, the 28-year-old posted marks of 16.3 points, 8.2 rebounds and 3.6 assists while playing 25.7 minutes per game. He also shot 48.0 percent from the field, and progressively improved his numbers over the months following his return. This culminated with a four-game stretch in April where Cousins averaged 20.5 points, 11.0 rebounds and 4.0 assists while the Warriors were a perfect 4-0.
Warriors’ Plan to Replace DeMarcus Cousins
There are a number of ways Golden State can go to fill the void left by Cousins’ absence, one of which is the aforementioned Looney. While Looney played well earlier in the season with Cousins out of the lineup, he’s been somewhat of an afterthought since that point. Beyond that, the Warriors could also choose to go small and use Draymond Green at the five potentially.
Another option is recently-signed Andrew Bogut, who would make a lot of sense as the more prototypical big man option. Steve Kerr and company could choose to change up their starting lineup based on matchups. Assuming the Warriors advance out of the opening round, Golden State can use Bogut against teams with normal big men, or Looney against opponents who play smaller.
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