When to sub Cousins still to be determined

Though DeMarcus Cousins’ Warriors debut is set for Friday night against the Clippers, Golden State head coach Steve Kerr has yet to iron out Cousins’ substitution pattern.

“Honestly, we haven’t mapped it out,” Kerr said before Wednesday night’s game against New Orleans at Oracle Arena. “All I’ve said is, I’ll start him. From there, it’s going to take him some time to get a rhythm and all that stuff.”

Kerr has spent recent weeks figuring out which wrinkles to add to his system that can showcase Cousins’ skill set. Careful not to overwhelm him, Kerr has introduced only a few different sets to Cousins in practices.

Golden State sees Cousins’ debut as merely the next phase in his year-long rehab from a torn left Achilles tendon. Depending on how Cousins looks and feels, Kerr will throttle his minutes up or down.

History suggests that Cousins’ chances of making a full recovery are slim, at best. Though he has been encouraged by Cousins’ performance in recent 5-on-5 scrimmages, Kerr expects the center to take a while adjusting to Golden State’s pace and movementheavy style.

After eight years as a No. 1 or No. 2 option, Cousins must try to be aggressive without taking away too many shots from Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant and Klay Thompson. It is no easy task. Though Kerr has pored over hours of video from Cousins’ time with the Pelicans to give him a better idea of how to use the fourtime All-Star, he realizes that Cousins will have to learn on the fly.

“Obviously, he’s been in the league a long time,” Kerr said. “We know his game. We know what he’s capable of, strengths and weaknesses. We’ve got some ideas for how we’re going to use him, but there’s no substitute for game experience.”