After signing with the Los Angeles Lakers, DeMarcus Cousins is the X-factor of the team.
The Los Angeles Lakers were able to have a very strong offseason, even though they didn’t land their third superstar in free agency.
While the Lakers were certainly hoping to sign Kawhi Leonard, they did do a strong job filling out the roster around LeBron James and Anthony Davis. One of the notable pickups for the Lakers was the addition of DeMarcus Cousins.
Cousins was able to work his way back from an Achilles tear and play in the playoffs with the Golden State Warriors last season. Unfortunately for Cousins, he then tore his quad in the playoffs.
Surprisingly, he was able to once again get back on the court for the NBA Finals. However, he was clearly not 100 percent and the Warriors fell to the Toronto Raptors. Cousins was certainly hoping to turn last season into a bigger contract, but injuries held him back from doing that.
Instead, Cousins will be playing for the Lakers on another one-year prove it deal. For the Lakers, this could be an excellent gamble. Recently, Rob Pelinka talked about Cousins being the X-factor for the Lakers this season. Here’s what he said Anthony Irwin of Silver Screen and Roll.
"“I look at him as an X-factor. If he can come back playing in all-star-caliber form, it really raises the bar of our team and what we can do, and I’m just excited with his commitment. He knows actions speak louder than words, and he’s going to show us with his actions. But so far, it’s been really impressive.”"
As a former All-Star that is still on the right side of 30-years-old, Cousins is certainly capable of becoming that caliber player once again. So far this offseason, Cousins is already working very hard on his conditioning to be in the best shape as possible for next season.
Since he hasn’t received the big deal that he surely thought he would have received if not for the injury, Cousins will be highly motivated this season.
While the Lakers might have missed on a superstar in Leonard, they might get an All-Star caliber player in Cousins. With his Achilles tear behind him now, Cousins will hopefully stay healthy next season. If he does, he absolutely could be the X-factor for the Lakers next season.