DeMarcus Cousins’ season ends before it begins with torn ACL

Calling the last couple of years a rough patch in the professional basketball career of DeMarcus Cousins is a bit of an understatement at this point. Cousins and the Los Angeles Lakers got the awful news today that the big man is dealing with a torn ACL and will likely miss the entire upcoming 2019-20 season.

DMC took a big chunk of the 2018-19 season off as he was rehabbing from surgery to repair a torn Achilles. At the time, he was playing for then-former defending champions, the Golden State Warriors. He had signed a one-year deal with the team, leaving a large sum of money on the table (offered by the New Orleans Pelicans) to chase an NBA title.

Cousins was actually able to recover from the injury and looked good for the Warriors when he came back to action in 2019. He lacked conditioning, which was evident in his play, but he was able to do some of the things reminiscent of his former dominant self. Just a season and change prior, he was considered the best center in the league.

Things were looking up. It appeared that Cousins would be the secret weapon the Warriors they had hoped he’d be to tip the scales further in their favor as they bid to defend their NBA title. Unfortunately for Cousins, he ended up with a partially torn quadricep muscle in April.

It is noteworthy that all three injuries, which have hit Cousins in the span of two years, are all in his left leg. This is just another sad chapter in his saga and battle with the injury bug.

The loss of Cousins significantly hurts the 2019-20 outlook of the Los Angeles Lakers. He was penciled in as the starting center, alongside Anthony Davis. The Purple and Gold squad still have AD and an age-defying LeBron James, as well as an up-and-coming Kyle Kuzma. They will either start veteran JaVale McGee or slide Davis over to the five spot. Alternatively, the team can also look for a big man in the free-agent market.

As far as DeMarcus Cousins is concerned though, his 2019-20 regular season is pretty much out of the question. Whether or not he will be able to come back in time to help his team in the playoffs is a bridge both parties will cross at the appropriate time.