DeMarcus Cousins officially signed his contract with the Golden State Warriors on Friday and completed the most shocking move of the offseason so far. The center penned a one-year, $5.3 million deal with the back-to-back champions. He may be recovering from an Achilles tear and possibly not play until the New Year but his decision to join the most formidable team in the NBA was met with disbelief. The initial reaction was focused on the fact that the Warriors will have five elite All-Stars in the same lineup. But some have chosen to take a cautious view with questions about his health and how he would fit into this team as potentially the fourth scoring option.
Willing to sacrifice
Cousins, however, already knows what he can do to make things work with his star-studded teammates.
“Of course it’s going to take a lot of hard work, a lot of hard work and dedication, and also a lot of sacrifice from not only myself but other guys on the team as well,” Cousins said, per NBC Sports.
“That’s something that we all are aware of and that’s something we accepted already.”
The Dubs already have Kevin Durant, Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson taking the bulk of the shots on the team and running the offence.
Therefore, it'll be hard to see Cousins getting as many touches of the ball as he's been used to in his career.
He's averaged at least 24 points over the last six seasons where he was selected to the All-Star team on each occasion.
The 27-year-old accepts that his numbers will dip but claims he'll be happy to finally share the load with other stars and have less responsibility.
“It may be some games where I’m the leading scorer,” Cousins said. “I look at that as a positive. I don’t have to be the guy every night.
"I’ve always wanted a team where everything doesn’t rely on me and now I’m in that position.”
The former Sacramento Kings star has described the potential of next year's Warriors team as "scary" and that's certainly how fans of other teams feel.
Boogie will be playing in the playoffs for the first time in his career and if he's able to return to 100 percent by the time the postseason comes around next year, he could be a major X-factor for the Oakland-based franchise.
“I’m coming in just playing my part,” Cousins said. “I’ll do whatever it takes to help this team win.
"Of course, I’m in a position where I’m able to play for a championship and every NBA player’s goal is to win a championship. So I’m coming in and I’ll do whatever it takes.”
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