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On Sunday afternoon, the Golden State Warriors will square off against the San Antonio Spurs in a game 4 matchup where they’ll have an opportunity to pull off a sweep. That domination comes despite the fact that 2x NBA MVP Stephen Curry is currently sidelined with a sprained MCL. With Curry out, the Warriors has been led by the duo of Kevin Durant and Klay Thompson, as they’ve averaged 27.3 and 25.7 points per game, respectively.
After that duo, Golden State has had contributions from a variety of different players, whether its JaVale McGee and Draymond Green to Andre Iguodala and Quinn Cook. The last part of that quartet has been a solid part of their rotation as Cook has averaged 7.7 points and 3.7 rebounds on 41% from the field and 36% from beyond the arc on 3.7 perimeter attempts per game.
Cook’s solid play with Golden State is just a continuation of the incredible numbers that he put up after Curry suffered his injury in late March. During the last 10 games of the season, Cook put up 15.4 points and 5 assists per game on 50% from the field and 50% from beyond the arc on 4.8 perimeter attempts per game. For most NBA fans, that tremendous performance came as a shock as 187 minutes into the Association before he signed a two-way deal with Golden State last fall.
However, folks that keep an eye on the G League are more than familiar with Cook as he was just a superstar during his time in the league, whether he was with the Canton Charge or Santa Cruz Warriors. During his three year stint, he averaged 23.3 points, 6.6 assists and 4.1 rebounds per game on 48% from the field and 39% from beyond the arc. That kind of consistent production led to him being named as the 2015-16 Rookie of the Year and being named to the All-G League 1st team in 2016-17 and 2017-18.
Although talent was obviously a factor behind that success, Cook continued to exhibit the kind of hard work and perseverance that players like himself needs to stick in the G League and try to reach that NBA dream rather than go overseas on a more lucrative deal.
On Saturday, IN THE LAB released a fantastic 9-minute documentary entitled “Quinn Cook: The Traveling Warrior” that chronicled the Warriors guard’s journey from not getting selected in the 2015 NBA Draft, his growth in the G League and finished up with his current success with Golden State. If you want to look at the kind of man that Cook is from both an on and off-court perspective, this documentary is definitely for you.