DeMarcus Cousins Injury: Updates on Kings Star's Calf and Return

It has been a disappointing 2014-15 season for the Sacramento Kings, but superstar DeMarcus Cousins’ production has been one of the few bright spots. Cousins has missed 17 games this season due to various ailments, and the Kings are considering shutting him down for the remainder of the season. 

Continue for updates.

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Cousins Misses Monday's Game, May Be Shutdown For Season 

Monday, March 30

Cousins was ruled out Monday against the Memphis Grizzlies after playing in four straight games, and he may potentially be shut down for the rest of the season, according to ESPN's Michael Wallace. George Karl commented on Cousins' status: 

"

We talked when he commented after one game that his body was beat up. I said, 'Instead of thinking about shutting it down, let's try to find some days that you can get your body rested.' We might schedule a piece of our games and (rest Cousins) again.

(...)

I think Cousins likes to play and I think he's doing it because he wants to play at a higher efficiency.

"

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Cousins Returns vs. Washington

Sunday, March 22

Head coach George Karl said Cousins is "going to play" against the Washington Wizards, per ESPN.com's James Ham.

Ham reported on March 20 that Cousins would not play Friday night vs. the Charlotte Hornets.

On March 18, the Kings announced that Cousins was dealing with a calf injury: "Following Monday's game against Atlanta, DeMarcus Cousins was added to the team's injury report and after sitting out Tuesday's practice has been downgraded to out with a right calf strain for Wednesday's game against the L.A. Clippers."

Cousins has been fairly durable throughout his career and played in more than 70 games in three of his first four seasons.

However, he missed time earlier this season because of viral meningitis and could miss some more games moving forward with this latest injury.

When he is on the floor, there are few more productive big men in the entire league than Cousins. He is a walking double-double (23.7 points, 12.3 rebounds per game) who has soft touch from the free-throw line (79.5 percent) and can serve as a rim protector on the defensive end.

He is also only 24 years old and will likely continue to improve in the next few years. The best way to reach his full potential is by logging more experience on the floor, so the Kings certainly hope he can return to the court soon.