It’s finally here.
The moment all of Dub Nation has been waiting for since we got the notification on our phones back on July 2.
DeMarcus Cousins is in uniform. And he’s starting for the Golden State Warriors.
After taking almost a full calendar year away from the court recovering from a torn left Achilles tendon, Cousins has now made Golden State the most dangerous team the NBA has seen in decades.
Just how crazy is this? They’ve become the first team since the 1975-1976 Boston Celtics to start five All Stars from the previous season. It’s frankly a Team USA collection of talent.
“All hell is about to break loose,” said Warriors forward Draymond Green in the buildup towards Cousins’ return. Nobody can argue that the remaining part of the season is going to be fun to watch. Unless you are a fan of the remaining 29 teams as NBA Twitter is constantly in an uproar after every Golden State win.
Warrior fans shouldn’t expect Cousins to be as dominant as he can be because that would be too much to ask for coming off his injury. Yet he is by far the best front court player the Warriors have had during the Steve Kerr era. Coming off of their most recent road trip, Cousins showed his entire arsenal that has made him four-time All Star. In just five games, he averaged 15 points, seven rebounds, while shooting 54 percent from beyond the arc. That alone has been what the Warriors have been searching for, that big-man presence in the paint, who can even stretch the floor.
Adding Cousins to the team helps with the loss of Damian Jones to a torn left pectoral muscle. Jones’s injury made Kevon Looney the center for the team, starting 22 games at the position, now he switches back to the second rotation where he can add to the depth that the Warriors are really lacking this season. The most offensive production they have been getting has come from Quinn Cook who is only averaging 7.6 points per game.
How the team responded since Cousins’ return can’t go unnoticed. On an East Coast trip, in the middle of an eight game winning streak, Golden State showed up prepared and shot well in their games against Washington, Boston, and Indiana. Most notably, their game against the Celtics, stood out because Kevin Durant had 33 points along with Stephen Curry dropping 24.
How the Warriors finish the season will be what to watch for. Does Kerr mix the rotations around? Will Cousins be modeled to play a certain role within the team’s offensive scheme? Will Curry improve on his 29.3 point average? How many games will they lose? Altogether, the remaining part of the 2018-2019 Warriors season will be can’t-miss basketball.
