DeMarcus Cousins Went Through ‘Dark Days’ During Achilles Rehab And Is Thrilled To Be On The Court Again

After hints that he would be returning to the practice action in the near future, Golden State Warriors big man DeMarcus Cousins took part in a full-blown workout with the G League’s Santa Cruz Warriors on Monday. Though Cousins still has work to do in order to return to game situations at the NBA level, the All-Star reflected on his journey in speaking to the media following his practice work.

“It’s been extremely humbling,” Cousins said, via Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN. “It’s really tested me as a person, as a man, as an athlete. I’ve had a lot of dark days, a lot of good days. I’ve questioned myself a lot. But I found a way to overcome all those bad feelings. I see the light at the end of the tunnel. I am extremely excited to get back on the floor. The sooner, the better. Probably for you guys as well. I can see the light. I am extremely excited about that.”

Cousins was also captured doing some on-court work in the aftermath of the practice itself.

Throughout the process, it has been quite clear that the Warriors have every reason to be cautious with Cousins’ rehab timeline, particularly given the team’s big-picture goal to claim yet another NBA title. Still, Cousins told ESPN that he felt he could play “if (his) life depended on it at the moment” and that is probably a good sign when trying to nail down his timeline return. Cousins also said plainly that he wants to be “100 percent or as close to 100 percent” as he can be before returning but all signs point to a step forward with this new achievement in his rehab process.

Much of the attention, as with any professional athlete, during Cousins’ rehab has been his projected timeline and what he will be able to accomplish when joining the Warriors on the court. That makes sense given what the public’s interest is with regard to basketball but Cousins pointing out that there is a mental and emotional toll taken with a long-term injury like his is important and, moving forward, it would probably be wise to consider the full fallout when evaluating all sides of the picture.