Report: DeMarcus Cousins may not be ready to play on opening day

Big man DeMarcus Cousins saw his campaign with Los Angeles Lakers end before it even began last offseason due to injury.

Now, it looks like Cousins still won’t be available to play when the 2020-21 season starts.

“DeMarcus Cousins continues to recover from the left knee injury that cost him his 2019-20 campaign and may not be ready to play on an opening day roster next month,” Austin Kent of Slam wrote.

“There haven’t been any specific setbacks, Cousins’ agent Jeff Schwartz tells SLAM, but the former All-Star is intent on returning at full strength and in a situation that’s going to be a good fit for him.”

Cousins, 30, signed a one-year contract with the the Lakers last summer.

However, he suffered a brutal ACL injury in August 2019. The setback forced him to watch the Lakers play from the bench for a long time.

Later in the season, the Lakers released the former All-Star in order to acquire Markieff Morris. The Lakers ended up winning the 2020 championship in the NBA bubble in Orlando, Fla.

As for Cousins, the veteran is still homeless when it comes to being on an NBA roster. He has career averages of 21.2 points, 10.9 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game.

At his best, he is one of the top centers in the league. The journeyman will have to prove to teams that he can play close to that level as free agency begins later this month.