WASHINGTON, Jan. 18 (Xinhua) -- After missing nearly a year of action due to a ruptured Achilles tendon, Golden State Warriors star DeMarcus Cousins is set to make his NBA return on Friday, and he said everything has just increased.

"Obviously, I won't be the same player. I've gotten better," Cousins was quoted as saying by ESPN on Thursday. "A lot of things have changed in my game. You start to tune up other areas of your game, like jump shooting and skill work. I think everything has just increased and gotten better."

Cousins has not played since late January of 2018 after being sidelined by the Achilles injury while playing for the New Orleans Pelicans. He was named an All-Star last season, but did not play in the game due to injury, and chose to sign with the Warriors last summer.

He is set to debut with his new team against the LA Clippers on Friday.

"At the end of this month, it'll basically be a calendar year. So it's been a long time," added Cousins.

"It's almost like a punishment. You know when you were a kid and you get your favorite toy taken away for a certain amount of time. And, you know, once you finally get it back you just feel like you love it even more. So it's kind of one of those feelings. Once it's in my hands, I'll take care of it."