Quinn Cook is finally back in the NBA with the Sacramento Kings, after spending some time playing overseas and in the G-League. Cook last played in the league for the Cavaliers in 2021, and before that, he had suited up for the Los Angeles Lakers.
He was actually a part of the Lakers squad that won the title in 2020, but he featured minimally, and it seems even his own team forgot about him once! After the Lakers won the title that year by beating the Miami Heat in the Finals, the team bus ended up leaving the arena without him, and a desperate Cook had to resort to commenting on J.R. Smith’s Instagram live to ask him to bring the bus back to the arena.
It is absolutely hilarious that none of them even realized that he wasn’t on the bus, and they joked that he’d have to take a flight back to Los Angeles. Those were fun times to be a part of the Lakers, but the good days weren’t going to last. The Lakers haven’t even come close to a championship since 2020, with a first-round exit in 2021 being followed up by a disastrous 2021-22 season where they missed the playoffs altogether.
They are looking to rebound from that disappointment, and they need Anthony Davis, who was spectacular throughout that postseason run in 2020, to return to his best. AD has dealt with injuries the last two seasons, and his level of play has dipped significantly, which explains why they have struggled so much. He has ramped up his offseason training after all the criticism that has come his way, so there is some hope that Davis will be back to his best.
As for Cook, he will be fighting for a spot in the rotation with the Kings this upcoming season, as De’Aaron Fox and Davion Mitchell are locked to start in the backcourt. He did well in the G-League last season as he averaged 23.5 points to go with 5.9 assists per game which led to him getting this opportunity, and he needs to take full advantage of it if he wants to stick around in the NBA.
