© Russ Isabella-USA TODAY Sports
OAKLAND – Steve Kerr isn’t yet ready to say when he expects DeMarcus Cousins will play his first game for the Warriors. But Kerr acknowledged that Cousins is making progress before the team’s second home game of the season against the Phoenix Suns.
Kerr said Cousins has been largely isolated in his rehab of his torn left Achilles tendon, doing most of his work in the training and weight rooms. For the first time this season, that appears to be changing.
“I think he’ll be more involved in practice,” Kerr said. “I think we’re going to start seeing in more of our team activities – 5-on-0 and ball-handling, skill work. And then if we do scrimmage, which is very rare – if we do, it’s usually with the young guys who don’t play a lot, he’ll probably join those scrimmages.”
Before Kerr spoke, the Warriors provided an official update on Cousins’ progress:
DeMarcus Cousins Injury Update: pic.twitter.com/O1ya7nzVWK
— Warriors PR (@WarriorsPR) October 23, 2018
The update provides optimism on an injury that has been historically devastating to a number of NBA players. Dominique Wilkins was probably the most high-profile NBA player to effectively recover from an Achilles tear. At least for one reporter, it begged the question, “Has (Cousins’) progress exceed expectations?”
Kerr nipped the question in the bud.
“We’re not going down that path,” Kerr said. “He’s doing fine, he’s doing well.”