2018-19 NBA Season Review
Quinn Cook is coming off his third NBA season — and second with the Golden State Warriors. His second season with the Warriors unfortunately saw a decrease in his role due to the improved health of Stephen Curry, but Cook served a suitable back-up to him. In 14.3 minutes, Cook averaged 6.9 points, 2.1 rebounds, and 1.6 assists.
Cook’s shooting abilities is where he excelled with the Warriors. His 46.5% from the field is above average for at the point guard position and his 40.5% from the three-point line is clearly a number to be happy about. In the prior season when Cook was forced to start 18 games due to Curry’s sprained ankle, he put his name on the map by averaging nearly 10 points on an absurd 44.2% from three.
During the 2019 NBA playoffs, Cook did not see a ton of playing time but when he did, he was always lights out from beyond the arc. It is this type of shooting the Los Angeles Lakers have been missing for the past couple of seasons and it is why the two crossed paths when they focused on depth when their Plan A of Kawhi Leonard fell through.
2019-20 NBA Season Outlook
Cook signed with the Lakers not only to function as a solid back-up point guard option, but also due to his father’s lifelong Lakers fandom. Cook signed on a two-year, $6 million deal like many other free agents in an effort to keep the team’s new core together over multiple seasons.
The point guard position is one that is certainly in flux for the Lakers right now, and there is a number of ways it could go for head coach Frank Vogel. One option is to go big and start LeBron James with Danny Green, Kyle Kuzma, Anthony Davis, and either JaVale McGee or Dwight Howard.
However, the more likely option is that Kuzma gets moved to a sixth man role and one of the team’s true point guards will step into the starting lineup for Vogel. Their true point guards include Cook, Alex Caruso, Rajon Rondo, and Avery Bradley. Because this is not an elite group, it may take a while for the Lakers to figure out exactly who fits best in that spot — and Cook will certainly have an argument.
The likeliest scenario for Cook is that he comes off the bench for 10-15 minutes per game and provides shooting relief from a reserve spot. If he can hit his three-pointers at above a 40% clip, he will maintain an important role.