DeMarcus Cousins to undergo testing for possible knee injury

Lakers big man DeMarcus Cousins will undergo testing with team physicians on Thursday after suffering a possible knee injury earlier in the week, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.

Here are the full details on Cousins’ injury and status, per Wojnarowksi:

Cousins, 29, was working out in Las Vegas on Monday when he had to leave the court after what one source described as “bumping knees” with another player.

While there is no such thing as “good news” when it comes to injuries, it’s a relief to hear it wasn’t a non-contact injury because non-contact injuries are typically more serious and therefore have longer recovery times. It’s especially welcoming to hear because Cousins suffered two non-contact injuries over the last year, including the Achilles tear that kept him sidelined for a year.

The bad news is that if he suffered the injury on Monday and it’s still bothering him this late in the week, it could be an injury that requires more than good old fashioned rest and recovery.

Even if it’s as something as minor as a knee contusion, or knee bruise, Cousins could be sidelined for an extended period of time, as Lakers fans know all too well. Last year, Mortiz Wagner suffered a knee contusion in July and was sidelined for four months. The season before that, Lonzo Ball was diagnosed with a knee contusion that was later re-diagnosed as a torn meniscus.

The Lakers have a pair of reliable options at center if Cousins’ recovery times extends into the regular season, including Anthony Davis and JaVale McGee. but the longer Cousins is out, the less time he has to gel with his new teammates. The longer it takes for Cousins to get acclimated with his team, the further the Lakers will be from title contention.

Here’s to hoping Dr. Judy Seto and the training staff have good news later in the day.

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