Warriors News: DeMarcus Cousins Discusses Challenges of Achilles Injury Rehab

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Leading up to the Golden State Warriors' showdown with the Los Angeles Lakers on Christmas Day at Oracle Arena, DeMarcus Cousins is still waiting to showcase his skills for the two-time defending NBA champions. 

Per The Athletic's Anthony Slater, Cousins spoke about the challenges he's faced while trying to come back from the ruptured Achilles he suffered in January.     

"It's a lot of sore days," Cousins said. "There are days I really ache. I do a lot of lower-body training. So there are days where my legs just feel like cement blocks, and I can barely move. Then there are days where I feel like a feather on the floor."

There are signs of hope. Cousins dunked on Kevin Durant during practice Friday:

Cousins also described the rehab process as "super frustrating" because it's doing the "same thing every day."

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There's some growing concern within the Warriors organization about when Cousins will be ready to return. 

"It's almost 2019," one team source told Slater. "The clock's starting to tick."

Stephen Curry had a more positive outlook. 

"It'll be like a brand-new season [when he returns]," he said.

While Cousins doesn't have a definitive return date, Slater noted the four-time All-Star is "weeks away" because his body is taking longer to recover at this stage of his rehab. 

Even before Cousins signed a one-year deal with Golden State as a free agent in July, he told Marc J. Spears of The Undefeated his goal was to be back by training camp. 

Last month, Logan Murdock of the Mercury News reported Cousins has had "no setbacks" in his recovery and had been hoping to return during Golden State's five-game road that started on Nov. 29. 

Instead, Golden State will continue to play the waiting game.

The upside is the Warriors are only a half-game behind the Denver Nuggets for the best record in the Western Conference, so they have no need to rush back one of the NBA's best centers before he's 100 percent and able to make an impact as they seek a third straight title.