Former teammate Draymond Green weighed in on Los Angeles Lakers center DeMarcus Cousins suffering a torn ACL.
When the Los Angeles Lakers signed DeMarcus Cousins to a one-year deal, many people weighed in. Cousins was arguably the best center in the NBA just 18 months ago before he suffered a torn Achilles, which derailed his career.
Cousins missed out on a big contract during free agency in 2018 as a result. He instead signed a one-year deal with the Golden State Warriors, hoping to win a title before looking to cash in as a free agent. Things didn’t go according to plan, again.
Cousins showed some flashes of his old self during his return. Unfortunately, he suffered another bad injury, as he tore his quad in the first round against the LA Clippers. Miraculously, Cousins returned for the NBA Finals just a few weeks later. However, he was far from 100 percent.
His athleticism was sapped and he was picked on defensively, as he lacked the lateral movement to stick with players on the perimeter and in the pick-and-roll. Despite that, he had a few monster performances to help keep the Warriors afloat as they battled injuries to Kevin Durant and Klay Thompson.
Given the injury he suffered, Cousins was once again met with a cold market in free agency. He signed a one-year deal with the Lakers and looked ready to get his career back on track. Sadly, the injury bug got Cousins again before he could even get going.
This past week while working out, it was reported that Cousins tore his ACL. His teammate with the Warriors, Draymond Green, had no words for what happened to Cousins.
"“One of my goals coming into this season was for DeMarcus to destroy everybody and come back and show how great of a player he is and get what I think he deserves,” Green told The Undefeated’s Marc Spears. “I’m really at a loss for words about it. It’s one that really hurt me for sure.”"
Cousins looked like he was a new man after signing with the Lakers. Photos surfaced of him and it looked like he had put a lot of work in at the gym getting back into shape following the NBA Finals loss to the Raptors.
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Even Green mentioned the weight loss. He said he hadn’t seen Cousins that slim and in shape since his college days at Kentucky.
Despite this being the third devastating injury that Cousins has suffered in about 19 months, Green is confident that he will return from this.
"“He made it out of Mobile, Alabama,” Green said. “The NBA is tough, very tough to get to, very tough to stay in.“But he made it out of Mobile, Alabama. If he can do that, he can do anything.”"
Cousins is as tough as they come. He wants to get back on the court and prove that he can still be the same dominant player he was with the Sacramento Kings and New Orleans Pelicans.
When he will have that chance is anyone’s guess. Cousins will miss a large chunk of the 2019-20 season, and there is a chance he will miss it entirely. Hopefully, Cousins is able to recover quickly and get back on the court to help the Lakers win some games this season.