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The entire NBA is on watch as DeMarcus Cousins is slated to make his NBA debut this Friday night. He will return in the Golden State Warriors game against the Los Angeles Clippers in Staples Center after missing almost 12 months. Having him on the court will undoubtedly be huge for Golden State, but one thing is still unclear- just how much DeMarcus Cousins will they be getting?
According to Tom Haberstroh, who spoke with Dr. Richard Ferkel, history doesn’t paint the most optimistic picture for Boogie or the Warriors. Ferkel, who operated on Cousins’ ruptured Achilles last January, explained that bigger players, because of their weight, have a tougher time recovering. “The stress they’re putting on is a little different for somebody who is a six-foot point guard.”
Weight has been a concern for the 6’11” listed Cousins, even prior to the injury. During his time at Kentucky, his listed weight was 292 pounds. With his weight fluctuating up and down at times, he is currently listed at 270 pounds by the Warriors’ media guide.
The historical figures for larger players returning from an Achilles injury aren’t promising. Research conducted by the Sports Medicine Analytics Research Team found weight to be influential in the player’s ability to fully cover and restore to their former self. In the research, no player weighing more than 285 bounced back fully in terms of PER, scoring, or their ability to play games down the stretch of an NBA season.
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Despite all these signs, Cousins remains confident that he can pick up where he left off. In speaking with ESPN’s Rachel Nichols, Boogie claimed “I’m back, and I’m not looking back. I’m moving forward. I’m leaving it on the floor every night. And I plan on coming back for that top spot.”
Prior to his injury, DeMarcus was playing like one of the best, if not the best, big men in the league. In the 48 games he played in New Orleans during the 2017-18 season, he averaged 25.2 points, 12.9 rebounds, 5.4 assists, 1.6 steals, and 1.6 blocks. As dominating a force as he was down low, he was even putting up 2.2 3’s a night on 35.4 percent shooting from deep. All of these numbers were well above his career averages and giving Cousin’s serious All-NBA consideration, something he had missed out on the season prior.
It is obvious that his ability to make an impact immediately and be as much of his former self as he can is just as important to him as returning. The San Francisco Chronicle reported that DeMarcus made efforts to return a few weeks ago, to which the team would only allow with the implementation of a 10-minute playing restriction. Rather than playing reduced minutes, Cousins chose to rehab more until he could return into a larger role with more minutes.
It will be a wait-and-see type of process for both the Warriors soon to be starting center. Phone calls with Hall of Famer Dominique Wilkins have helped prepare him mentally, though. Wilkins, who suffered the same injury, told Cousins “once you realize you are healed, like don’t think about it. Just go forward.”
Until he takes the court again, no one will know for sure if DeMarcus Cousins can be the same elite player he was before the injury. The good news for the Warriors (and bad news for the rest of the league) is that even if he is only part of what he used to be, that is still likely a pretty good player.
