Really don't understand why you guys think Cousins is finished...
Kevin Pelton says:
Gay's example provides hope but, on average, players coming back from Achilles injuries see their production decline by about 8 percent compared to what we would project based on their past performance and age. The good news is Cousins is so dominant he can afford to decline by 8 percent and remain a very good player. Nonetheless, it's possible that this injury will rob us of the peak Boogie we saw this season in New Orleans. And that has huge ramifications for both him and the Pelicans.
CONCLUSION:
An Achilles tendon rupture is a devastating injury that prevents RTP [return to play] for 30.6% of professional players. Athletes who do return play in fewer games, have less play time, and perform at a lower level than their preinjury status. However, these functional deficits are seen only at 1 year after surgery compared with matched controls, such that players who return to play can expect to perform at a level commensurate with uninjured controls 2 years postoperatively.
When individual sports were compared, NBA players were most significantly affected, experiencing significant decreases in games played, play time, and performance.
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So going by Pelton's 8% decline, Cousins would have numbers like.
20.16 PPG, 10.3 RPG, 4 APG, 1.28 SPG/BPG.
Yeah those are still Allstar numbers...
I still think if anyone can bounce back, it's Cousins... He has improved himself in every facet of his game, just like Lebron. If he can still manage to put up 18/9/2-3 APG, he's still arguably a top 5-6 Center.
I think those numbers are highly optimistic since the majority of examples are much smaller than Cousins . This quote is pretty accurate considering Cousins' size.
@KeithSmithNBA
History has been very unkind to big men coming back from a torn Achilles'. Patrick Ewing, Elton Brand, Mehmet Okur, Christian Laettner, Stanley Roberts and Mo Taylor are examples I could find. None were the same after. Many were close to done. Just a sad situation all around.
That is true, but none of the players you listed have any of the offensive skillsets that Cousins possess...
With Cousins being able to spread the floor, wide body, and smart passer... I think while he won't be as dominant, he's still gonna put up nice numbers. His game doesn't rely on his speed or athleticism, although it has helped him greatly.