How DeMarcus Cousins will help Warriors in these three specific areas

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On Friday night, DeMarcus Cousins will play in his first NBA game since he tore his left Achilles tendon on Jan. 26, 2018. The whole basketball world will be watching as he makes his Warriors debut.

But one thing you shouldn't do is set lofty expectations, as it's going to take him time to find his rhythm and comfort zone.

As you keep your eye on Boogie's every move, pay close attention to how he is performing in the following three areas:

PASSING

Over his first six seasons, Cousins averaged just 2.7 assists per game. But in 2016-17, he dished out 4.6. And last year, he racked up a career-high 5.4 assists per contest.

The night his season came to an end, he recorded a season-high 11 assists in fewer than 30 minutes. He is more than willing to be a facilitator and is now surrounded by more talent than ever.

The Warriors cut off the ball a lot so even if he isn't double teamed, the four-time All-Star should be able to find teammates for layups or open jumpers left and right.

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3-POINT SHOOTING

In the Steve Kerr era, the Warriors have never really had a big man like Cousins who can step out and consistently knock down 3-pointers. Then again, the NBA hasn't seen many big men like Cousins, period.

Cousins attempted just 69 3-pointers combined over his first five seasons in the league. But that all changed in 2015-16 when he jacked up 210 triples.

In 2016-17, he went 131-for-363 behind the arc (36.1 percent), and in 48 games last year he went 104-for-294 (35.4 percent). Steve Kerr recently said that the Warriors aren't going to slow down their pace for Cousins, which means a lot of his 3-point attempts will probably come with him trailing the play in transition. 

His defender has to respect his ability to space the floor, so Cousins' presence is going to open things up for his teammates.

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DEFENDING PERIMETER PLAYERS 

The biggest challenge facing Cousins will be containing guards and wings. Teams are going to try to isolate him in 1-on-1 situations (we are looking at you, James Harden) and test Boogie's ability to slide his feet.

When engaged, the two-time All-NBA selection has shown he's capable of being a very good defender. Last year, he tied his career high with 1.6 steals a game and also averaged 1.6 blocks (his career high is 1.7).

How much will his lateral quickness be impacted by the Achilles tear? We are going to find out very soon.

Be sure to watch the video above to see examples of everything we just discussed.

Drew Shiller is the co-host of Warriors Outsiders. Follow him on Twitter @DrewShiller

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