Los Angeles Lakers: Quinn Cook means more than meets the eye

Due to Rajon Rondo’s injury and Avery Bradley’s decision to sit out, guard Quinn Cook has a real opportunity to step up for the Los Angeles Lakers.

With the NBA season on the verge of resuming, there have been a number of questions revolving around the Los Angeles Lakers. One such question is whether the team will be deep enough without guards Rajon Rondo and Avery Bradley.

For those who may have forgotten, Rondo is sidelined on account of a fracture to his right thumb. Conversely, Bradley elected to sit out of the NBA restart due to safety concerns with the ongoing uncertainty of the pandemic.

Thus, it is reasonable to argue the Los Angeles Lakers are a little bit thinner in terms of guard depth. Players like Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Alex Caruso will likely get increases in minutes due to the absences of Rondo and Bradley.

Furthermore, it also important to be mindful of a couple of newer additions to the roster. The team’s newest player is veteran J.R. Smith not to mention that they signed Dion Waiters shortly before the pandemic shut hoops activity down.

However, it is worth noting Smith has not played in an NBA game since November 19, 2018. Truth be told, Waiters has not stepped onto the court in recent memory himself. He only played in three games for the Miami Heat in the latter portion of January.

On that note, it is anyone’s guess with respect to whether the new additions will be impactful. At the bare minimum, one can only hope both players are well-conditioned before meaningful basketball resumes.

Due to the murkier backcourt situation, a lesser talked about Laker is worth addressing. One of the team’s offseason acquisitions was former Warrior Quinn Cook, who deserves a closer examination.

Breaking down Quinn Cook’s potential impact on the Los Angeles Lakers:

Yes, it cannot be denied that Cook was essentially a garbage minutes type player for the purple and gold this season. His stat line is nothing too gaudy, and the 6-foot-1 guard played in a modest 38 games for L.A. this year.

The primary reason as to why Cook’s playing time was inconsistent is because of the above-mentioned players. As Matt Peralta of Lakers Nation points out, Rondo, KCP, Caruso, and Bradley were all ahead of Cook in the rotation.

Granted Cook was used infrequently, he may very well mean more to the team than meets the eye. In the grand scheme of things, Cook gives the Lakers an extra piece off the bench, which is a crucial asset when two guys are out.

Time will tell whether Cook receives much playing time once the game we all love returns, but he could be a key contributor. Albeit Cook is not the most versatile player, he knows how to get the rock into the basket.

Although Cook was utilized in garbage minutes on multiple occasions, he truly stepped up to the plate at times when the Lakers needed an extra boost. Sabreena Merchant of Silver Screen & Roll detailed a few such instances where Cook had solid performances.

One standout performance Cook enjoyed was in the Windy City in early November. His most noteworthy contribution that night came in the scoring department, as he netted 17 points. The Duke product dropped three treys that night and did not require a lot of attempts to make that possible.

Per Merchant, the Los Angeles Lakers were without Rondo and Bradley that night, coincidentally enough, which makes Cook’s game even more intriguing. Sure, it may seem like a small sample size, but it proves that Cook can demonstrate that “next man up” mantra.

Cook had several other double-digit scoring performances throughout the campaign as well. Therefore, the great night he had against Chicago was not some sort of fluke by any means.

The 27-year-old recently disclosed that he is more than ready for basketball to return. In fact, per Peralta’s transcription, Cook said he is “comfortable” with taking charge of the Lakers’ bench.

"“I’m very comfortable with running the second unit. I’ve had some spurts this year where I had to, and I feel like I performed well,” Cook said.“Obviously, now later in the season, it’s a different type of basketball. I definitely feel confident. I know my teammates are confident in me. I obviously wish ‘Do and Avery were here, but it’s always next man up mentality. That’s what makes the team so special. Coaches and teammates, we all have confidence in each other and we all believe in ourselves first.”"

Cook’s confidence will be crucial to the purple and gold moving forward. The Lakers will only have so many regular-season games to go until the real season approaches. Thus, confidence is key at this juncture.

During various points this season, one can certainly decipher that Quinn is not low on confidence. He is not afraid to shoot the ball, but is not one to usually take unnecessary, questionable shots, either.

As he insinuated with the use of the word “spurts,” Cook can indeed be a spotty player for the lack of a better word. Some may view a term like that in a negative light. However, he has exhibited his value to the team when the troops are thinner on more than one occasion, with that Bulls game being just one example.

Another excellent point Cook raised was that everyone on the Los Angeles Lakers believes in one another. The team chemistry was a constant vocal point all year long, and there never seemed to be any drama behind the scenes. It is rather uncommon to see a team that literally has zero drama.

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Certainly, Cook deserves some praise in this regard. Players will sometimes complain when they receive little playing time, but the Lakers’ guard never said anything about it to the media. It validates that Cook, like everyone else thus far, has a team-first mindset above all else.

Another trait the Los Angeles Lakers have with reference to Cook is postseason experience. One could contend Cook was a lucky duck in being a part of the Warriors in the past. Lucky or not, though, he made some big-time buckets for Golden State when they needed them.

Perhaps the most memorable example came in last year’s championship series. Quinn converted a few treys in the fourth quarter of Game 2 to help knot the series up at 1-1. It changed the trajectory of the game, with the Warriors winning by a margin of five points.

Certainly, there is no doubt this is partly why the Lakers picked him up in the offseason. Every team needs a guy who is not afraid in critical moments and Cook certainly has that requisite “confidence” to make it rain.

Cook could be instrumental as strange as it may seem because forward Kyle Kuzma in particular was inconsistent all year long. Many see Kuzma as the third option for the Lakers, but his seesaw-like level of play concerned many as the season wore on.

On that note, the Lakers could use “spurts” from guys like Cook in order to fill in the cracks. It is not to say the former Warrior needs to drop 20 points a night for the Lakers to succeed. At the same time, having a player who can help the Lakers stay afloat when the starters need a breather is imperative.

Cook will not be the answer to all the Lakers’ questions moving forward. Frankly, he does not fit the mold of a prototypical point guard given that he is not the most adept creator for his teammates (1.1 assists per game in 2019-20). Nonetheless, it is nice that the Lakers have a bench piece that is akin to a microwave when called upon.

As good as the Los Angeles Lakers’ one-two punch of LeBron James and Anthony Davis is, the team will need scoring threat(s) beyond their two stars. Cook could very well be one such contributor for the Lakers in the time to come.

Cook has shown that he can get cooking when his team needs him to. Certainly, the Los Angeles Lakers are hoping he can replicate his past successes when the lights are shining at their brightest.