Quinn Cook is the Warriors' secret weapon
Quinn Cook is the Warriors' secret weapon
Since Stephen Curry went down with a left MCL sprain, Quinn Cook has played well in his stead. He is, right now, the Warriors' secret weapon and they'll need him for the playoffs.
Since Stephen Curry went down with a left MCL sprain, Quinn Cook has played well in his stead. He is, right now, the Warriors' secret weapon and they'll need him for the playoffs.
Stephen Curry injured his left knee when teammate JaVale McGee smashed into it while falling down a little more than a week ago. Curry is out for at least the first round of the playoffs.
His replacement, Quinn Cook, has done a fine job in place of Curry. Since Curry went down on March 23, Cook has scored in double figures in all of the games, with point totals of 17, 11, 30, 10 and 19. That is an average of 17.4 ppg since Curry went down. He is shooting an efficient 52 percent from the field since Curry injured himself. Additionally, Cook is making half of his three-point attempts with Curry out of the lineup.
Whether Cook makes the playoff roster remains to be seen, but he's certainly made the case. He's also made the case to be the team's starting point guard in the playoffs until Curry returns. His confidence level has risen substantially. He looks more comfortable in running the team when he's on the court and isn't afraid to shoot the shots he needs to.
Cook is playing the "Ian Clark" role for the Warriors this year. He is playing with a lot more confidence currently than he was earlier in the year. He is dependable as another scoring option for the Warriors, along with his hometown buddy, Kevin Durant, and Klay Thompson. He might not be the cutter Clark was, but Cook's ability to run a team and create his shot off the dribble is invaluable.
If the Warriors do keep Cook for the playoff push, the starting point guard spot will not be a given for him, despite how well he has played. Shaun Livingston, the other backup point guard and starter in the first and half of the second round in the 2016 playoffs, will have something to say about the starting job.
No matter who the starting point guard is for the Warriors, whether it's Livingston or Cook, Cook will have a significant impact on the Warriors on offense due to his recent play. He is in, some ways, the Warriors' secret weapon because teams won't expect him to hurt the opposition as much as Durant and Thompson. While the defense concentrates its efforts in slowing down the Warriors' two primary scorers without Curry, the two-way G-league player should get plenty of open looks as he did in Golden State's loss to Milwaukee in which he had 30 points on 12-of-15 from the field, including 5-of-5 from beyond the arc. Many of the open looks Cook received was because the defense focused its attention on Durant.
If Cook continues his torrid pace with the playoffs approaching, there's no reason the Warriors should not have their "secret weapon" on the roster. He just needs to keep cookin' until the chef comes back.
All stats courtesy of basketball-reference.com and hashtagbasketball.com/next-man-up
Stephen Curry injured his left knee when teammate JaVale McGee smashed into it while falling down a little more than a week ago. Curry is out for at least the first round of the playoffs.
His replacement, Quinn Cook, has done a fine job in place of Curry. Since Curry went down on March 23, Cook has scored in double figures in all of the games, with point totals of 17, 11, 30, 10 and 19. That is an average of 17.4 ppg since Curry went down. He is shooting an efficient 52 percent from the field since Curry injured himself. Additionally, Cook is making half of his three-point attempts with Curry out of the lineup.
Whether Cook makes the playoff roster remains to be seen, but he's certainly made the case. He's also made the case to be the team's starting point guard in the playoffs until Curry returns. His confidence level has risen substantially. He looks more comfortable in running the team when he's on the court and isn't afraid to shoot the shots he needs to.
Cook is playing the "Ian Clark" role for the Warriors this year. He is playing with a lot more confidence currently than he was earlier in the year. He is dependable as another scoring option for the Warriors, along with his hometown buddy, Kevin Durant, and Klay Thompson. He might not be the cutter Clark was, but Cook's ability to run a team and create his shot off the dribble is invaluable.
If the Warriors do keep Cook for the playoff push, the starting point guard spot will not be a given for him, despite how well he has played. Shaun Livingston, the other backup point guard and starter in the first and half of the second round in the 2016 playoffs, will have something to say about the starting job.
No matter who the starting point guard is for the Warriors, whether it's Livingston or Cook, Cook will have a significant impact on the Warriors on offense due to his recent play. He is in, some ways, the Warriors' secret weapon because teams won't expect him to hurt the opposition as much as Durant and Thompson. While the defense concentrates its efforts in slowing down the Warriors' two primary scorers without Curry, the two-way G-league player should get plenty of open looks as he did in Golden State's loss to Milwaukee in which he had 30 points on 12-of-15 from the field, including 5-of-5 from beyond the arc. Many of the open looks Cook received was because the defense focused its attention on Durant.
If Cook continues his torrid pace with the playoffs approaching, there's no reason the Warriors should not have their "secret weapon" on the roster. He just needs to keep cookin' until the chef comes back.
All stats courtesy of basketball-reference.com and hashtagbasketball.com/next-man-up