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Golden State Warriors: Steve Kerr should experiment with Quinn Cook at the two

By Nathan Beighle

OAKLAND, CA - NOVEMBER 24: Quinn Cook #4 of the Golden State Warriors shoots the ball against the Sacramento Kings on November 24, 2018 at ORACLE Arena in Oakland, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Noah Graham/NBAE via Getty Images)
OAKLAND, CA - NOVEMBER 24: Quinn Cook #4 of the Golden State Warriors shoots the ball against the Sacramento Kings on November 24, 2018 at ORACLE Arena in Oakland, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Noah Graham/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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The Golden State Warriors have struggled this season, and it’s may be time to try out new lineups, including potentially sliding Quinn Cook to the two.

With the league’s most talented roster, the Golden State Warriors have little noticeable weaknesses. Many teams have, however, broken them down because of their inability to space the court, but testing out a smaller lineup with Quinn Cook at the two might fix that.

Any combination of Draymond Green, Shaun Livingston, Kevon Looney and Jordan Bell shrink the floor considerably for the Dubs. It really handicaps Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant’s efficiency when they aren’t able to run off screens and get to a clean look at the hoop.

That said, bringing in Quinn Cook to play the two guard in a lineup featuring Curry, Durant, Green and Thompson might not be such a bad idea on paper. The uber-talented Cook hasn’t been given much opportunity this season, playing under ten minutes in eight of the 32 games he’s seen time in.

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While his minutes are down, Cook’s scoring per 36 minutes has actually increased. Over 17 points per 36 minutes, Cook has become quite a threat when given the minutes to succeed.

The only bad part for Cook’s sake is he’s playing under 16 minutes per game and backing up the league’s best point guard in Curry. He won’t be finding volume minutes with Curry at the helm of the ship.

That said, he needs to find his niche in making the Dubs small-ball lineup elite.

At 6-foot-2, Cook has the size and speed to cover many smaller shooting guards. Defensively, Cook can hang with players like CJ McCollum and Avery Bradley. That said, the defensive issues really shouldn’t be a concern for a Cook-at-the-two lineup.

Offensively, a lineup like that would be a juggernaut. Cook is shooting over 43% from deep and is making 2.8 per 36 minutes. Yet, because he’s behind Curry, Kerr struggles to find time for Cook especially given the veteran leadership of Shaun Livingston on the second unit.

An extremely small sample size of a lineup with Curry, Cook, Alfonzo McKinnie, Klay Thompson and Jonas Jerebko had a net rating of 66.7, although the lineup was on the court just two minutes. This style of lineup is certainly one Golden State should try out more often.

Cook can play the two, and he should play the two. Curry and Cook together make a lineup lethal from all over the court.

dark. Next. 3 reasons why the Warriors should sign Nick Young

Let’s see it happen.

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