2. He has championship experience
For a team like the Lakers that hasn’t won the NBA Championship as presently constituted, it will really help that five players on their roster have gone all the way.
Cook is one of them. He has played in the NBA Finals each of the past two seasons as a member of the Warriors, and earned himself a championship ring a year ago when they defeated Cleveland in the championship series. If you’ve forgotten, as easy as that series may have been for them, they had to really huff and puff before that to put away a very strong Houston team in a seven-game Western Conference Finals series.
Granted, Cook didn’t play much in those playoffs, but if/when this Lakers team finds itself playing for the world championship or at least a spot in the NBA Finals, Cook will not wilt under the bright lights and big pressure thanks to the experience he has gained the past couple years. He will not be in awe of the significance of those games.