Now that Steph Curry is back from the groin injury he suffered a few weeks ago, the Golden State Warriors keep getting closer and closer to being a fully-formed monster. While Draymond Green returning from his toe injury is the more immediate event on the horizon, DeMarcus Cousins is still working on making his way back from the achilles injury he suffered last year with the New Orleans Pelicans.
It doesn’t sound like Cousins is going to take the floor any time soon, which is fine, because, well, the Warriors still have four All-Stars to shoulder the load while he’s unavailable. But on Friday, Steve Kerr gave an update that certainly makes it sound like Cousins is ready to start ramping up his rehab.
Kerr revealed that Cousins is going to start practicing with the Warriors’ G-League squad, the Santa Cruz Warriors, in the coming days with the hopes of going hard in practice, something he won’t get with the two-time defending champions.
DeMarcus Cousins will practice with the Warriors’ G-League team at some point soon, maybe as early as this week, to really ramp up toward return. Warriors midseason practices are too light. Kerr wants Cousins in high intensity environments.
— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) December 7, 2018
After Kerr said this, Kevin Durant provided his own update of sorts on Cousins. While he can tell he looks good while he works out, there’s a far more important signifier in Durant’s eyes that shows Cousins is headed in the right direction.
Kevin Durant said he knows DeMarcus Cousins is getting closer to return because he’s getting “a little bit louder than usual” around the team. pic.twitter.com/ekZc3FMBvc
— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) December 7, 2018
“It’s just a little bit more louder than usual, so any time he starts talking a little bit more, that means something good has happened, and that’s a good sign for us,” Durant said. “But he looks good, obviously he might be a couple … I don’t know how long he is away. I don’t think he’s playing here soon, but his wind looks good. I watched him play 5-on-5, his handle looks great, shot looks good, so I guess it’s just a matter of just getting back to the feel and the flow of the game.”
Cousins reportedly wants to return after Christmas, which would give him a few months to get into a rhythm with the Dubs before the postseason rolls around. Ramping up the intensity of his workouts would imply he’s on that timetable, although it remains to be seen how long after the biggest day on the NBA’s calendar it’ll take for him to take the floor.
