Quinn Cook
In desperate need of a point guard, James Jones could turn to the Golden State Warriors for solutions.
he 25-year-old former Duke point guard has played well in a backup role for the kings of the West. He won’t have much of a chance to ever blossom while Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson have a hold on the two backcourt positions.
This is a bit hopeful of a spot for the Phoenix Suns.
Quinn Cook has a nice role in the Bay Area while collecting rings like the Suns collect busts.
But if Phoenix could manage to convince Cook to leave the golden state for desert pastures (doesn’t have as much of a ring as greener), then they could get a solid contributor.
Phoenix hasn’t had a reliable point guard in awhile. They’ve been stuck trying to make do with Isaiah Canaan or De’Anthony Melton.
Or jamming a square peg into a circular hole with Devin Booker.
And now the solution is Tyler Johnson and all of his -7.6 box plus/minus.
To be fair, most of that negative production is a result of playing on such a horrid team in a small sample size. He was a lot better in larger minutes with the Miami Heat before the trade.
But Johnson and his contract will become a valuable expiring next season. Bringing in Cook would mean more depth at the point position while also giving him a chance to shine in larger minutes.
Cook has been productive while leading the bench units for the Warriors. Yet, he is passive when he’s on the floor. That’s not shocking. At any point he could be surrounded by four hall of famers.
Naturally he wouldn’t want to shoot and I don’t blame him. But give him more of a role on a team like the Suns and there could be something there.
Quinn Cook isn’t nearly the draw of Kyrie or Kemba or even Jeremy Lin. But he is more in the range of what Jones can attract in free agency. He’s young and has experience on a championship team. He shoots well from 3 and is a decent offensive player.
He struggles defensively, a problem when pairing up with Booker. But two-way guards aren’t growing on trees and sure aren’t begging to go to Phoenix.
If the Suns do end up grabbing Ja Morant in the draft, then Cook would be a useful player off the bench. If Phoenix ends up with Zion then Cook with Booker, Zion, and Ayton plus whatever wing you choose would be an intriguing five.
It would still give Cook the ball while surrounding him with talent. Cook isn’t shooting for the stars but it’s realistic and adding talent that has experienced winning.