DeMarcus Cousins Says He’s 100 Percent Healed From Injury, Will Try to Play 82 Games This Season

For the first time since he tore his left quadriceps muscle in April, DeMarcus Cousins is 100 percent healed.

The big man, who will play for the Los Angeles Lakers this season, says that his goal is to play all 82 games in the upcoming regular season.

The 2018-19 season saw Cousins battle one injury after another. But he was still able to play in his first playoffs and made his first NBA Finals appearance with the Golden State Warriors. He tore his Achilles January of last year while playing for the New Orleans Pelicans.

After coming back to play roughly a year later, he injured his quad during the first round of the 2019 playoffs. The 6-foot-11 center returned about a month later to help the Warriors extend their Finals series to six games before losing to the eventual champion Toronto Raptors.

Cousins agreed to a one-year, $3.5 million deal with the Lakers this summer, allowing him the opportunity to play alongside his former teammate with the Pelicans, Anthony Davis. The big men have a legitimate shot at winning the championship next year with LeBron James leading the way.

As long as his health holds up, Cousins can still be a major force in the middle for the Lakers. The four-time All-Star has career averages of 21.2 points, 10.9 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 1.4 steals and 1.2 blocks. Prior to the Achilles and quad injury, Cousins was considered one of the best players in the game. He is out to prove that he still belongs in the league’s upper echelon.