DeMarcus Cousins suffered a torn ACL during a practice session in Las Vegas on Monday, flying back to Los Angeles to get a proper diagnostic after bumping knees with another player. This marks the third major lower-body injury he's had in the last 19 months, a sign that should heavily concern the Los Angeles Lakers, who likely expected him to suit up alongside LeBron James and former teammate Anthony Davis.

Unfortunately true to all the worries from executives around the league, Boogie has now reached the point where we can say he's been plagued by the injury bug at a crucial point in his career — and prior samples with other players don't look great.

Since first suffering a crushing torn Achilles injury during a late January game in 2018, Cousins has had a long road back from rehabilitation, which meant spending most of the season on the shelf for the Golden State Warriors after the New Orleans Pelicans failed to make him the max-level offer he expected in a crucial contract year.

Cousins played 30 games for the Warriors in the midst of careful therapeutic work and the consequent injury management protocol that provided him with a minutes limit and plenty of nights off. Yet the big man found himself injured once again in Game 2 of the first round against the LA Clippers, making a near-miraculous return from a torn quad in the NBA Finals.

This ACL injury will mark the trifecta of lower-body injuries and stamp a huge red flag above Cousins' name not only now, but in the foreseeable future.

What can the Lakers expect from Cousins?

As of now, not much, as he could risk even failing to suit up for the purple-and-gold altogether. Torn ACLs can generally heal in 9-12 months, though athletes generally have access to around the clock rehabilitation, whether that is through physical therapists, machinery, or detailed rehabilitation plans to follow through the course of months. That alone can shave one, two, or sometimes even three months from that schedule, depending on the severity and the progress of healing that ligament.

Yet Cousins' issue is another beast altogether, as his recent Achilles and quad injuries will cause a whole other issue when it comes to rehabbing not only his injured ACL, but the entire kinetic chain, until there is no need for him to overcompensate for his fragile joints.

If Boogie does return at some point in the 2019-20 season, it will likely be on a support role, as JaVale McGee is likely to take on his duties as the only true center in the roster, while Anthony Davis could shift to center in certain rotations as well.

While Los Angeles was hoping to see a leaner, meaner Boogie-man, his upside at this point is giving what he was able to give the Golden State Warriors last year, though the Lakers won't have anywhere around the same elite-level shooting their Western Conference foes had last season.

What will be different about the Lakers' dynamic?

The Lakers will have to find a way to fill in that need at center, whether it is by signing a veteran like Joakim Noah, Nene, or Zaza Pachulia — or trading at some point for a capable cog at that position.

If only they had Ivica Zubac, right?

Yet the dynamic for this team won't change much, as head coach Frank Vogel will likely base his system around LeBron James, letting Anthony Davis get off in spurts and control the action through a two-headed attack.

The Lakers' principles, so long as James is on the court, will be to make the most of his court vision with open shooters while generating enough gravity for James to force his own offense. Cousins doesn't really add much here, as he only shot a woeful 27.4% from three— his lowest mark since 2015-16, when he started shooting them at a higher volume.

Will Boogie ever get another chance to make his mark in the league?

Sadly, the answer to this is likely no. Big men with a debilitating/fragile lower body have historically not lasted very long in this league and after Cousins has experienced three major injuries in such quick succession (a span of a year-and-a-half), the signs for a potential return to dominance are simply not there.

Cousins' best case scenario at this point is hoping for longevity in the game, going from a high-usage superstar to a capable center. It's unknown if he'll ever be able to handle heavy minutes as he once did with such ferocity, but he does have some good things going for him now that he's stretched his game to the perimeter. Molding his game from bully-ball to a more perimeter-oriented game as the NBA evolves could prove his meal ticket for years to come — much like guys like Elton Brand, Karl Malone, and Hakeem Olajuwon developed later in their career after suffering injuries.

Boogie can still salvage a career in the league — even after this wild chain of unfortunate events, but it will take reinventing his game and being willing to take whatever role he's offered from now on, similar to his disposition to come off the bench during an injury-plagued postseason for the Warriors.