To put it mildly, the last three NBA seasons have been a grind for new Houston Rockets center DeMarcus Cousins.
“To hell and back,” Cousins said of his journey. The 30-year-old spoke at Toyota Center, where training camp is underway for next season.
In 2017-18, Cousins’ season in New Orleans was limited to 48 games after tearing his left Achilles in January. The 6-foot-10 big man then played only 30 regular-season games with Golden State in 2018-19, following the Achilles recovery. He felt healthier heading into the playoffs, only to tear his left quadriceps muscle early in the first round.
Cousins then signed with the eventual champion Los Angeles Lakers prior to the 2019-20 season, but he never played a game for them after tearing the ACL in his left knee during an offseason workout.
To say the least, rehabilitating a torn Achilles, ACL, and quadriceps muscle within a two-year span — and all to the same leg — makes for a brutal recovery process. But by age, Cousins is still in his prime NBA years, and he says he’s finally feeling well heading into the 2020-21 season.
Here’s a few snippets of what Cousins said Thursday.
How he feels now:
Man, I feel incredible. Obviously, it was a tough task mentally, physically, but at the same time I was able to rest my body, a much-needed rest. Coming back off of that has been incredible. My body is in a great place, my mind is in a great place, and I’m just ready to get back on the floor and play basketball, play the game I love.
New #Rockets at #TXSN – Healthy at last, DeMarcus Cousins stoked to be with Rockets https://t.co/pgecaSuh6t
— Jonathan Feigen (@Jonathan_Feigen) December 4, 2020
On his rehabilitation:
To hell and back … I’d be lying if I didn’t tell you the task was tough, but now I think I’m built for it. I took it in stride. I just fought through. I willed my way through. I learned a lot about myself, just life in general, even though it was a tough time in my life. … I think I’ve grown in a lot of areas of my life. I know everybody’s story is different. This just happens to be mine. So, you know, I’m going to roll with the punches.
I feel like I went through a situation that a lot of people would probably give up and quit. I just took it as this is my life lesson. It’s just preparing me for whatever’s next. Life is full of adversity. Every battle that you go through prepares you for the next one. I’m not the only person that’s going through hard times or that has gone through hard times. And I’m not saying I went through the worst situation. But just when those times come, just fight through.
On his inspiration to keep coming back:
It’s moreso my upbringing. I watched my mom work two jobs with six kids, her entire life. So who am I to complain about some adversity? Life is full of adversity. Me going through the things I’ve gone through, I will be prepared.
The complete media session with Cousins — a four-time NBA All-Star, prior to those leg injuries — can be watched below, in its entirety. Friday’s interview schedule will be released later in the morning.
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