Golden State Warriors: The mystery behind Quinn Cook’s usage, or lack thereof

The Golden State Warriors backup point guard, Quinn Cook, has not been what it should be, and his low usage rate has many questioning what’s wrong.

It seems every member of the Golden State Warriors second unit has been mightily struggling, and there’s no telling why. Here’s we’ll dive into the story behind Quinn Cook after already taking a look at Andre Iguodala and Shaun Livingston‘s struggle.

Cook was brought on last season after being waived by the Atlanta Hawks. After joining the team on a two-way deal, his excellent play made him a player the Dubs had to keep. However, this season has them wondering what’s up with Cook.

Through the Dubs first 11 games, Cook has seen time in just eight. From 9.5 points per game last season to just 5.9 this season, Cook’s been a ghost of his former self, and clearly, Kerr thinks so too, playing Cook under 12 minutes per game.

So, the scoring, while it is worrisome, shouldn’t be taken too seriously. Per 36 minutes, Cook is actually scoring more than three points more than he was last season. The improvement is nice to see but has yet to buy him any time on the court.

Just about every fact that a personnel’s statistician wants to see increased has for Cook this season. He’s has a better true shooting percentage, a similar player efficiency rating, and has ultimately shown a more involved playstyle, increasing his usage rate by over 3%.

What’s happening to his play time then? Why has Kerr opted to play Cook just 11.4 minutes per game?

In part, it’s because how hot Stephen Curry has been this season. Curry is averaging 33.9 minutes per game, and when he is shooting 52.5% from the field, it’s difficult to take him out.

It could also be because, with Cook on the court, the Dubs are just worse off. With him on the court, the team has been 3.1 points worse than their opponent. Cook’s presence has been impactful, but it hasn’t created a better on-court product than Shaun Livingston.

The Golden State Warriors and Steve Kerr have opted not to use Cook in the same capacity because the on-court production just hasn’t warranted him in volume minutes. It certainly could change, but Cook and the second unit will have to force the issue for it to change.