Golden State Warriors center DeMarcus Cousins has been sidelined due to a quadriceps injury, but he's been cleared to participate in Thursday night's Finals opener against the Toronto Raptors. There are some who feel that Cousins' return to the lineup will have a negative impact, but Kevon Looney is confident that it won't be an issue.

“It's his call,” Looney said during Thursday's practice. “It's his body. He knows when he's ready to go out there and compete, and I'm looking forward to his return.

“We've had guys in and out of the lineup all season,” Looney added. “Getting [Cousins] acclimated earlier this season helped a lot. We got used to playing with him. He went out early in the playoffs, but we still know how to play with him. We know what kind of style he's good at. We know how to adapt — that's been one of the calling cards of our team. I think he'll fit right in.”

Cousins has already began taking light contact and was a full participant during Thursday's shootaround. If he does make an appearance in Game 1 — and it sounds like he will — he'll likely be on a minutes restriction. Warriors head coach Steve Kerr was non-comittal when asked if Cousins would start.

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“[We'll have to see] how many minutes can he play, what the game feels like, what the matchups are like,” Kerr told The Athletic, referring to Cousins' availability for Game 1. “Some of that will be determined by what’s happening in the game, and the other stuff is just internal with our staff.”

The fact that Cousins is well enough to take the floor again is great news for the Warriors, who are making their fifth consecutive trip to the NBA's biggest stage.

Cousins made 30 appearances with the Warriors during their 2018-19 regular season campaign, racking up averages of 16.3 points on 48.0 percent shooting from the field (27.4 percent from beyond the arc), 8.2 rebounds, 3.6 assists, 1.5 blocks and 1.3 steals in 25.7 minutes per outing.

The Warriors and Raptors will meet for Game 1 of the NBA Finals on Thursday night. Tip-off inside Scotiabank Arena is set for 9:00 p.m. ET, with ABC having live broadcast coverage.