- Rich Paul offers cryptic response when asked whether he expects LeBron James to return next season
- Report: Kentucky big man among promising draft prospects Lakers worked out on Friday
- Lakers insider speculates Mo Bamba and Malik Beasley won’t be back with Lakers
- Report: Lakers likely to keep No. 17 pick in 2023 NBA Draft
- Lakers insider labels Phil Handy as name to watch for Frank Vogel’s staff on Suns
- Report: Spurs could be dark-horse team that will try to poach Austin Reaves from Lakers
- Report: Lakers plan to match $100M offer sheets on Austin Reaves
- Patrick Beverley says LeBron James won’t retire because he’s ‘chasing some s–t’
- Bruce Brown says Nikola Jokic had Anthony Davis in ‘shambles’ in the playoffs
- Report: Eric Lewis won’t work NBA Finals amid ongoing investigation into suspicious Twitter activity
Report: DeMarcus Cousins Has Good Chance to Play for Lakers This Season
- Updated: January 23, 2020
DeMarcus Cousins has yet to suit up for the Los Angeles Lakers this season, but that doesn’t mean his return to the court this season isn’t a possibility.
Despite suffering a torn ACL this past summer, there is belief within the Lakers organization that Cousins will be able to suit up before the end of the 2019-20 campaign.
Brian Windhorst believes DeMarcus Cousins has a chance to play this season, via @LakersTalkESPN
“I think that DeMarcus Cousins is going to have a chance to play at some point this season…I don’t think the Lakers want to trade DeMarcus Cousins.”
(h/t @TheLakersReview ) pic.twitter.com/6YO1NsAPxn
— NBA Central (@TheNBACentral) January 22, 2020
Cousins was once considered to be one of the most dangerous big men in the entire NBA. However, a number of serious lower body injuries has kept him off the court for much of the last three seasons.
Interestingly, the last time he had a major impact with a team was when he was part of a dominant frontcourt duo alongside Anthony Davis on the New Orleans Pelicans.
In the 2017-18 season, he averaged 25.2 points, 12.9 rebounds and 5.4 assists per game. He only played in 48 games that season after suffering a torn Achilles on Jan. 26.
Even if he does come back from injury this year, it is highly unlikely that Cousins would enjoy that same level of production. Still, when healthy, he has all the talent necessary to be a dominant force in the league.
Hopefully, Cousins can come back. He is still only 29 years old and could still have a great career ahead of him.
Whether or not that career starts back up this season in L.A. remains to be seen.