The Los Angeles Clippers emerged as the weekend's ultimate winner following their successful coup of Kawhi Leonard and Paul George. However, the Los Angeles Lakers also made a bit of a splash — an extremely small one compared to that of their crosstown rivals — by singing a number of noteworthy players themselves.
Along with DeMarcus Cousins, Danny Green, and Rajon Rondo (re-signed), the Lakers were also able to acquire the services of former Golden State Warriors point guard Quinn Cook on a two-year deal. Admittedly, he is the least known name among the quartet L.A. just signed, but as a matter of fact, this 6-foot-2 guard might just emerge as an under-the-radar steal for the Lakers. Below are a few reasons why.
A Sniper
It is no secret that what the Lakers lacked last season was some quality shooters from beyond the arc. We all know LeBron James plays best when surrounded by shooters, and in this respect, former president of basketball operations Magic Johnson failed to provide LeBron with the necessary help he needed to succeed. The Lakers' front office scrambled to make amends and added Reggie Bullock midseason, but it turned out to be too little, too late.
Well, L.A. seems to have learned its lesson. The Lakers have gone out and signed two of the best shooters available on the market in Green and Cook. For his part, Cook averaged only 6.9 points, 1.1 3-pointers, 2.1 rebounds, and 1.6 assists last season. It is worth noting, however, that he did this in only 14.3 minutes per game, as he saw his role reduced in his second year with the Dubs. Nonetheless, this amounts to 17.3 points and 2.8 3-pointers per 36 minutes, so these numbers are actually pretty solid.
In the 2017-18 season, when Cook averaged 22.4 minutes with the Warriors, he averaged 9.5 points on 48.4 percent shooting and 1.4 3-pointers on a 44.2-percent clip. So, given the opportunity — which we believe will come in L.A. — the 26-year-old can actually deliver.
A Bargain
The Lakers signed Cook on a two-year contract worth $6 million. That's $3 million per season, which is definitely a steal. To put this into perspective, L.A. signed Danny Green for two years and $30 million, which is five times more than Cook's deal. Obviously, Green (10.3 points, 2.5 3-pointers, 4.0 rebounds, 1.6 assists, 0.9 steals, and 0.7 blocks in 27.7 minutes per contest with the Toronto Raptors last season) is a more potent weapon compared to Cook, but the disparity in their contracts is pretty staggering.
As mentioned previously, Cook is by no means a household name, and with just three seasons under his belt so far, he still has to earn his stripes (and his money), so to speak. This placed the Lakers in a great opportunity to pounce on such a bargain of a deal, and one that should look to pay dividends in the very near future.
A Champion
Last but certainly not least is the fact that Cook is an NBA champion. Sure, he's just entering his fourth season in the pros, and he barely eclipsed 20 minutes per contest in his championship-winning season with a star-studded Warriors team, but the simple fact of the matter here is that he has a championship ring. More importantly, what he brings to the table is the championship experience he has, and paired alongside that of fellow former champions in the Lakers such as LeBron, Rondo, and Green, he should still be able to play his role in helping the younger players on the team cope with the high-pressure situation in L.A.
***
At the end of the day, the Lakers were absolutely outdone by the Clippers over the weekend; arguably even in the entire offseason thus far, in spite of the Lakers' acquisition of Anthony Davis. However, the Lakers still hold the title of the team to beat in L.A., and unless they are dethroned, they will still remain to be the same in the future.
The Clippers will be giving them a good run for their money in the next few years, though, but with how the Lakers have dusted themselves off after their failed pursuit of Kawhi Leonard, things are definitely not that bad for the team. They obviously had a Plan B in place, and the Lakers executed the same to perfection. Quinn Cook may be a minor piece in the puzzle as we know it, but it would not be surprising if he emerges as an important player in the team's rotation in what should be a much better outing for the Lakers this time around after this past season's ugly failure.
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