New Orleans Pelicans big man DeMarcus Cousins continues to recover from a devastating Achilles injury he suffered during the 2017-18 campaign.
Cousins, 27, didn’t just tear the tendon. Instead, he completely ruptured his Achilles. It came during a contract year and with Cousins set to cash in on a max contract this coming summer.
Following the injury, many have speculated whether Cousins will be able to return 100 percent. He’s a 6-foot-11, 270-pound mountain of a man. It certainly is cause for concern.
Well, Cousins himself has a message for the naysayers.
32 YEAR OLD DOMINIQUE WILKINS INJURES ACHILLES IN 1992 / COMES BACK NEXT YEAR TO AVERAGE 30 PPG#TheResurgence #0Doubt #1992 pic.twitter.com/1g1srQ9djM
— DeMarcus Cousins (@boogiecousins) May 19, 2018
That’s a pretty nice little history lesson right there. Without modern medical advances, Dominique Wilkins did in fact suffer an Achilles tear during the 1991-92 season.
He would ultimately rebound from that injury to average 29.9 points en route to an All-Star appearance for the Atlanta Hawks the following season. In fact, the Hall of Famer put up two consecutive seasons of 29-plus points before seeing his game dwindle later in his career.
Though, most of that had to do with wear and tear. No one can really link it to Wilkins’ Achilles injury years prior.
It’s something to think about as Cousins hits free agency.