Every once in a while, the greatest athletes in the world need a confidence boost, especially when the game has been taken away from them.
DeMarcus Cousins, usually brash and boisterous, needed just that.
As Cousins struggled to get around his Las Vegas home while rehabbing from rupturing his left Achilles tendon, his trainer and confidants showed him his own highlights as a reminder of just how great of a player he is.
"We had to show him film of what he was," Cousins' trainer Joe Abunassar said to The Athletic. "We had to get him thinking about playing basketball. You're so far removed from playing basketball when you're in the therapy room doing pilates. He's just like, ‘I just want to play basketball.'"
It worked wonders for the Warriors' big man.
"Watching those videos of me running up and down the court, dunking and having fun, it brought a light to my day," Cousins said. "It helped me realize that I'm at my worst point right now, but I can get back to that person. It helped me find the fire, because being in that situation of having that injury and feeling like you're at the end.
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"Your first thought was, ‘I'm done with. Man, I'm done with.' That's human instinct. But that helped me find that fire, helped me continue to push and bring some happiness to me.
"Waking up every day in that moment, limping out of bed, or looking for my crutch and seeing a big ass cast, I needed to see myself and see what I am capable of."
The current version of DeMarcus Cousins might not be the same as the four-time All-Star he watched, but 2019 Boogie is getting close to his former self.
Through two games, the Warriors are 2-0 and Cousins is averaging 11 points, 7.5 rebounds and four assists. When he's on the court with the team's other four All-Stars, they can't be stopped, and Boogie's numbers per 36 minutes are a wild 22 points, 15 rebounds and 8 assists.
This goes to show we all need a confidence boost here and there, even when you're a 6-foot-11 dominant force on the basketball floor.
