Pelicans’ DeMarcus Cousins out for the rest of the season with torn Achilles

The New Orleans Pelicans played host to one of the best teams in the NBA on Friday night at the Smoothie King Center with DeMarcus Cousins and Anthony Davis going up against James Harden’s Houston Rockets. Although the Pelicans were able to come away with an impressive win over the Western Conference heavyweights, it has come at great cost.

According to ESPN, Cousins, who was recently named a starter for the 2018 NBA All-Star Game, tore his left Achilles tendon in the win over Houston.

Pelicans All-Star center DeMarcus Cousins suffered a torn left Achilles tendon Friday night and will miss the rest of the season, league sources told ESPN.

Cousins’ Achilles tear is devastating for a number of different reasons. The veteran center is having arguably his best season in the league while finding a way to coexist with Davis in New Orleans. His impressive season couldn’t have come at a better time as he’ll become an unrestricted free agent this summer joining the likes of LeBron James and Paul George as the biggest names on the market.

Before suffering the injury, Cousins was one of the prized free agents and thought to be well on his way to securing a lucrative long-term deal with the Pelicans or another one of what was bound to be a long list of interested suitors.

With Achilles injuries being career-threatening in most cases, there’s no telling what the future holds for arguably the most talented big man in the game today. The sky was the limit for the 27-year-old as he could easily be a cornerstone for a franchise with championship aspirations.

Now that Cousins will be on the mend for a considerable amount of time, the odds of the Pelicans being a force in the West from here on out will be slim to none. New Orleans was barely a middle-of-the-pack team with Cousins playing at a high level, and now the Pelicans will have to lean solely on Davis once again.