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DeMarcus Cousins' road to recovery was a trying one, as the big man was forced to start very slowly, knowing it would take months to fully heal the Achilles injury he suffered in a win over the Houston Rockets on Jan. 26 after busting out a triple-double. The Golden State Warriors center had his days of struggle and was forced to battle them with memories of joy — mainly stemming from his basketball victories.
Still in a hard cast, Cousins grew frustrated, still eager to get on the floor, but unable to do so. His trainer and confidants battled those low moments with sprinkles of happiness, handing him a curated highlight reel of his best accomplishments.
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“Watch basketball?” Cousins asked, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic.
‘Sit down,’ they would tell him, ‘and watch how you dominate this sport.’
“Watching those videos of me running up and down the court, dunking and having fun, it brought a light to my day,” Cousins said. “It helped me realize that I’m at my worst point right now, but I can get back to that person. It helped me find the fire, because being in that situation of having that injury and feeling like you’re at the end… Your first thought was, ‘I’m done with. Man, I’m done with.’ That’s human instinct. But that helped me find that fire, helped me continue to push and bring some happiness to me.
“Waking up every day in that moment, limping out of bed, or looking for my crutch and seeing a big ass cast, I needed to see myself and see what I am capable of.”
The Warriors got Cousins back on the floor eight days before the one-year mark of his injury. A long recovery process, but one that will eventually allow him to slowly acclimate to the NBA's pace.
Through two games, he has played 15 and 21 minutes, respectively, in each of his on-court stints, surely finding his place alongside a star-studded lineup and a new opportunity ahead.
