Lakers Restart Refresh: Quinn Cook, shooter in case of emergency

Quinn Cook probably won’t get minutes consistently for the Lakers, but he can definitely shoot if they need him to.

With the NBA Restart on the horizon, we are going to take stock of who is on the Los Angeles Lakers, what they did, or didn’t do this season, and what to look for as the Lakers look to march towards their 17th championship banner in the most unprecedented circumstances in NBA history. 

Quinn Cook

If the Lakers have their way, the majority of Quinn Cook’s contributions to their championship run will probably considerably less than what he was asked to do as a member of the Golden State Warriors over the past few years. What Cook is, however, is a shooter in case of an emergency.

One of the biggest reasons that Cook has found a way to stick in the league after a few years in the G League out of college is that he’s a career 41% 3-point shooter over his career. But the Lakers have plenty of guard depth ahead of him, especially considering he’s more of an undersized shooting guard than he is a true point guard. With the recent additions of J.R. Smith and Dion Waiters, as well as rotation stalwart Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and fan-favorite defensive specialist Alex Caruso.

Also, while Cook has been a great shooter in the regular season over his career, his playoff performance has been a little less reliable. Over the course of two playoff runs as a member of the Golden State Warriors, he shot only 27.7%. Even more concerning for his outlook as a playoff performer is that over the course of two postseasons, it hasn’t been a case of teams taking away an effective shot. In fact, his 3-point rate in two postseasons is higher than his career 3-point rate.

NBA history suggests that the Lakers will likely have to rely on everyone for at least one moment in the playoffs. In the middle of a pandemic and with everyone coming off a four-month layoff, he will almost certainly be asked to fill in. But if the Lakers are to have the season they wish to have, they are likely hoping the moments they will ask Cook to deliver are few and far between. Their moves to add other guards indicate as much, but it’s pretty good to have someone with championship experience as your emergency guard.

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