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NBA Season Preview 2018-19: 20 things to watch this NBA season

By Bryan Toporek

MINNEAPOLIS, MN - APRIL 11: (L-R) Jimmy Butler #23, Karl-Anthony Towns #32, Taj Gibson #67 and Andrew Wiggins #22 of the Minnesota Timberwolves head back to the bench for a timeout during overtime of the game against the Denver Nuggets on April 11, 2018 at the Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Timberwolves defeated the Nuggets 112-106. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images)
MINNEAPOLIS, MN - APRIL 11: (L-R) Jimmy Butler #23, Karl-Anthony Towns #32, Taj Gibson #67 and Andrew Wiggins #22 of the Minnesota Timberwolves head back to the bench for a timeout during overtime of the game against the Denver Nuggets on April 11, 2018 at the Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Timberwolves defeated the Nuggets 112-106. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images) /
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LAS VEGAS, NV – JULY 6: DeMarcus Cousins #0 of the Golden State Warriors looks on from the sideline during the game against the Los Angeles Clippers during the 2018 Las Vegas Summer League on July 6, 2018 at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Garrett Ellwood/NBAE via Getty Images)
LAS VEGAS, NV – JULY 6: DeMarcus Cousins #0 of the Golden State Warriors looks on from the sideline during the game against the Los Angeles Clippers during the 2018 Las Vegas Summer League on July 6, 2018 at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Garrett Ellwood/NBAE via Getty Images) /

18. DeMarcus Cousins, post-Achilles

Not content with four All-Stars and three of the past four NBA championships, the Golden State Warriors somehow got even richer this summer. Despite being armed with only salary-cap exceptions, the Warriors signed four-time All-Star DeMarcus Cousins, which immediately caused Basketball Twitter to melt down.

However, no one knows whether Cousins will recapture his previous form.

The big man went down with a torn Achilles tendon in late January, which is notoriously difficult to overcome. Elton Brand, who ruptured his Achilles during the 2007 offseason, described the impact of the injury to Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News in 2013.

“Once I started playing, mentally for me it was tough for me to jump off my left foot again,” Brand said. “I didn’t have the same explosiveness that I had. I regained and then I relost it. I didn’t have it. I had to change my game a little bit where I jumped off two feet and I was a little bit slower.”

According to Wojnarowski, Cousins hopes to return to the court by December or January, but the Warriors will be in no rush. They have the luxury of easing him back into action, as his availability in mid-April and beyond is far more important to them than a few additional regular-season victories.

Cousins was the only player across the NBA last year to average at least 25 points, 10 rebounds and five assists per game. He also chipped in 2.2 triples, 1.6 steals and 1.6 blocks per game for good measure. If he’s anywhere close to the player he was prior to his injury, brace yourselves for another avalanche of “the Warriors ruined the NBA!” takes upon his return.