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OAKLAND – As DeMarcus Cousins rehabs his left Achilles tendon, the Warriors’ All-Star center has a trusty teammate who has offered plenty of perspective on how to navigate his recovery.
His name is Jonas Jerebko, who has not just bolstered the Warriors with his toughness and outside shooting. He also has offered insight on when he recovered from a torn right Achilles tendon that sidelined him for the entire 2010-11 campaign during his second NBA season.
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“He should take some more time and he’s getting there,” Jerebko said after morning shootaround on Wednesday. “We need him coming in March and April and May. That’s when we need him He can take his time.”
The Warriors have not attached a timetable on Cousins’ return, but they do not plan for him to return just in time for the NBA playoffs. Cousins has spent this week completing five-on-five, full-contact drills with the Warriors’ G-League team in Santa Cruz. And he might return as early as January.
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Jerebko did not inherit the same set of circumstances that Cousins faced. Jerebko strained his right Achilles in a 2010 exhibition with the Detroit Pistons, and was told immediately he would not play all season. Though Cousins also suffered a season-ending injury, Cousins’ happened mid-way through the 2017-18 season on Jan. 26 with the New Orleans Pelicans.
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Jerebko returned to the Pistons for the 2011-12 lockout-shortened season without any reported issues mentally or physically. Though he acknowledged the compressed schedule providing extra challenges, Jerebko said he did not feel any limitations stemming from his injury.
Jerebko averaged 8.7 points on 46.8 percent shooting and 4.8 rebounds that season, which mirrors his 10-year NBA career averages in points (6.2), shooting percentage (45.8 percent) and rebounds (4.1). The Warriors (19-9) enter Wednesday’s game against the Toronto Raptors (22-7) with Jerebko averaging 7.5 points while shooting 47.4 percent from the field and 37.6 percent from 3-point range along with 5.6 rebounds in 20.3 minutes per game.
“We talk every now and then making sure he’s good,” Jerebko said. “Everybody is different with that injury. I just tell him to take his time and do extra on the injured leg always every day and stretch a little extra and do extra work on that leg. That stuff has been helping me through my career.”
The Warriors do not expect Cousins to replicate his career averages in points (21.5), rebounds (11.0) and assists (3.2) during his eight-year career in Sacramento (2010-17) and New Orleans (2017-18). After all, the four-time All-Star plans to sublimate his game to complement the Warriors’ four other All-Stars in Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green. But the Warriors believe they can blend Cousins’ post presence, perimeter shooting and passing seamlessly.
“I can’t wait to have him back,” Jerebko said of Cousins. “He’s a force down low. He can shoot the ball and is a super talented player. I know he’s going to help us a lot. I can’t wait to see him back on the court with us.”
Actually, Jerebko can wait. Though he said Cousins has been “looking good in practice,” Jerebko encouraged Cousins to “hurry slow” after outlining his own recovery.
“I was happy to play basketball again. I felt strong. I took a lot of time off and I didn’t really miss a beat,” Jerebko said. “Psychologically I was fine. It took me probably a couple years until I feel better than I was before. It’s an injury that will take a little bit of time. But once you’re back, you’re definitely back, I never had any problems with it afterwards.”
The Warriors will soon find out if Cousins experiences the same thing.
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