Senior Spotlight – Quinn Cook

Quinn Cook had been doing a very good job as Duke’s starting point guard the past two seasons, but with freshman Tyus Jones coming in last season, Cook was asked to move primarily to the shooting guard position. Not only did Cook show off better scoring ability than he did in past seasons, but the move was an important part of the Blue Devils winning the National Championship. Cook averaged 15.3 points per game while hitting almost 40 percent from three-point range. His assists dropped to just 2.6 per game, but he still had a very impressive 2.2:1 assist-to-turnover-ratio.

With a trip to the NBA Combine coming up next week for Cook, let’s take a look at his game and how it translates to the professional level:

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Offense

After two years as the Blue Devils’ primary point guard, Cook played more off the ball this season with Tyus Jones taking over the primary duties. The opportunity gave him more of a chance to show his scoring ability, and he handled the chance well. Still, his future will be back at the point guard position. Cook is a very good ballhandler, able to use his left and right equally well, and showing a few advanced dribbles, including a very good hesitation dribble.  Cook sees the floor very well, and shows a lot of patience in the halfcourt offense, letting plays develop. He makes good, quick reads in the pick-and-roll, though he should work on getting the ball to teammates in better positions for them to shoot quickly, especially teammates rolling or cutting to the rim.  Cook also does a good job looking to draw help defenders off penetration and finding an open teammate. Though he doesn’t have an especially quick first step to the rim, or great acceleration, he uses a nice combination of skill and patience to pick his spots.  Cook uses screens well to create separation from his defender when looking to get to the basket, and though he can have some trouble finishing at the rim against longer defenders, he showed an improved runner around the lane to avoid shot-blockers. Cook isn’t one to try and draw contact around the basket, but he can be creative, and his ability to finish well with his left or right allows him to try to make defenders come across his body to block a shot.   He doesn’t get to the free throw line often, but when he does, he was among the tops in the country, hitting 89 percent.

This season, playing off the ball, Cook became more of a perimeter shooter, with almost 60 percent of his shots coming from three-point range. He is a good long-range shooter when he has time to get his feet set behind the line, or when he can step right into his shot. Where he has trouble is trying to shoot off the dribble, even if just to clear some space. Cook ends up with excess movement in his motion, like kicking his legs, which ends up affecting his upper body in his motion and causing his shot to be off. It may be a strength issue which he can fix in time, but it is an area he will need to improve when given the jumper in the pick-and-roll. He has the same issue when looking to shoot the mid-range jumper off the dribble, though not as often.

Cook has shown good speed in transition when pushing the ball, and he has good control of the ball as he weaves through the defenders. As in the halfcourt, he can have some problems finishing at the rim against longer defenders, and he can have some control problems if defenders try to force him away from the basket. Cook sees the floor well on the break, and when he keeps control, he does a good job drawing defenders to him to free up teammates running the lanes. Cook is also capable of running on the wings in transition, where he can get a clean look at the basket and knock down open jumpers.

Defense

Cook is an average on-ball defender, though he has some lapses guarding quick guards out on the perimeter. He positions himself well with a good stance, shows good lateral movement over short distances, but he can be slow to react to his man, and can have some problems adjusting to changes in direction. Also, Cook doesn’t have great foot speed which can cause him to play on his heels, especially when defending a player who likes to drive to the basket. He has problems getting through screens, and will often rely on the screener’s defender to bail him out. Off the ball, Cook shows good instincts, especially when looking to jump passing lanes.

The Next Level

Cook’s move back to point guard at the next level should be benefitted by the confidence he gained as a scorer this season. He’s fundamentally sound running the point, shows good patience, and makes solid decisions. Cook’s ability to make plays in the pick-and-roll was understated this season playing next to Jones, but he is just as capable. While he needs to work more on being able to knock down jumper in pick-and-roll situations to force the defense to play him tight, he has shown that he can hit them when he has time to get set. Cook doesn’t have great size at a position that keeps getting bigger, but he is crafty with the ball, and he finds ways to make things happen. Defensively, he has a lot of work to do in almost all aspects of guarding on the perimeter, and his inability to contain his man can often force his big men into tough situations. Finding Cook the right team situation to start his career will be important, allowing him time to work on some of these key areas.

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