Quinn Cook - elite shooter?

[SupaDave]

They may not be the eye popping distance of JJ but Quinn has most certainly turned into one of the most reliable shooters I've ever seen at Duke. I haven't done a numbers comparison (national or Duke related but I'm sure if this thread goes long enough - someone will) but right about now I'll put him up there with anybody and JJ is by far my favorite 3 point assassin.

His shooting touch has gone from "get Cook open" to "give Cook the ball" in my opinion.

[Dukehky]

When he is set, he is an elite shooter. No question.

JJ and Langdon are the 2 best pure shooters that come to mind, but Quinn Cook is one ballsy SOB, I'm good with him taking this team's last shot.

[Troublemaker]

Absolutely an elite shooter to me. The move off-the-ball has turned Quinn into one of the most feared snipers in the country.

[AIRFORCEDUKIE]

More important than the fact that he is an elite shooter, is the timeliness of the shots he makes. It seems like every shot he makes comes at a time when we really need someone to step up. He has taken the leadership role on and morphed himself into an All American caliber player. If we are going to win anything this post season, I guarantee that Quinn will have something the most say in it.

[flyingdutchdevil]

Absolutely an elite shooter to me. The move off-the-ball has turned Quinn into one of the most feared snipers in the country.

Agreed. Quinn is absolutely elite. He is shooting an amazing 50% from 3 in the last 6 games. He is such a luxury to have: great team leader, great shooter, great protector of the ball.

Also, he's slowly becoming a fan favorite at DBR because he has cut down on hero ball and taking it to the hole in traffic.

Troublemaker - we finally agree on something!

[yancem]

I think the biggest improvement he has made this year is the speed in which he can get set and get his shot off. Last night he had a couple of really quick shots where he was running stopped on a dime and let it rip. That is very tough to do. I'm not sure I would put him in the category of Redick but he certainly should be in the discussion with Langdon, Curry and Dawkins. One thing to consider is that shooting percentage isn't always the best measure. Redick's percentage is actually lower than all three above but he was taking some seriously contested shots. Dawkins is actually just barely ahead of Redick (.407 to .406) but I would wager that a significantly higher percentage were wide open. That's not to knock Dawkins, he got a serious stroke, he just was never the focus of the defense. Langon has the highest career average of this group at .426. He also took quite a few contested shots but if I remember correctly, he kept closer to the line than the others. In other words, he was very accurate but I don't think he had quite the range.

[Troublemaker]

Agreed. Quinn is absolutely elite. He is shooting an amazing 50% from 3 in the last 6 games. He is such a luxury to have: great team leader, great shooter, great protector of the ball.

Also, he's slowly becoming a fan favorite at DBR because he has cut down on hero ball and taking it to the hole in traffic.

Troublemaker - we finally agree on something!

That's a good sign for you, FDD! It means you're starting to not be wrong all the time!

[flyingdutchdevil]

That's a good sign for you, FDD! It means you're starting to not be wrong all the time!

Ouch.

In all seriousness, though, players like Quinn Cook are arguably the main reason I follow Duke basketball. Quinn came in with question marks. He came in with a reputation as an elite PG with great playmaking skills. But he struggled. Every year, however, he improved. Everything got better about his game.

Players like Redick, Nolan, Quinn - it's wonderful to see them develop over the course of 4 years (even watching Henderson over 3 years was fun!). It isn't to say I don't love watching raw talent destroy competition in the form of Okafor, Jabari, and Irving, but it's not the same. I can say that I don't have the same emotional attachment towards Jabari and Irving as I do for Redick, Nolan, Singler, and Quinn.

[conmanlhughes]

What I think makes Quinn unique is how well rounded his game has become. First off, he has a lot of defensive potential, as shown by his guarding of Paige and Grant. On offense, he has developed beautifully. I used to cringe when he drived. Now, he is really showing off a high mental IQ that wasn't shown as much his first 3 years. The floater, pull-up, and the occasional insane drive that gets the roll more than in the past is amazing. When he drives now and does attack the rim, I become vaguely reminded of Kyrie. I don't think I realized before this season how good a shooter he was either, but I definitely believe he has improved over the course of his 4 years.

I am so happy to see the energy he used to spend pouting instead being used to get after it on defense. He has really adopted the mindset of "Next Play".

[karmacoma]

More important than the fact that he is an elite shooter, is the timeliness of the shots he makes. It seems like every shot he makes comes at a time when we really need someone to step up. He has taken the leadership role on and morphed himself into an All American caliber player. If we are going to win anything this post season, I guarantee that Quinn will have something the most say in it.

That for me is the key. Both Quinn and Tyus have developed a knack for making huge three-point splashes in critical situations. Neither is likely to be counted among Duke's classically "pure" three-point shooters, like Trajan and J.J., but I'm not sure those guys were any more clutch from behind the arc than Q and T.

[jimsumner]

Cook's senior season is reminding me a lot of Seth Curry's senior season.

Add in his foul shooting and Cook sure has the look of an elite shooter.

[gus]

I think the biggest improvement he has made this year is the speed in which he can get set and get his shot off. Last night he had a couple of really quick shots where he was running stopped on a dime and let it rip. That is very tough to do. I'm not sure I would put him in the category of Redick but he certainly should be in the discussion with Langdon, Curry and Dawkins. One thing to consider is that shooting percentage isn't always the best measure. Redick's percentage is actually lower than all three above but he was taking some seriously contested shots. Dawkins is actually just barely ahead of Redick (.407 to .406) but I would wager that a significantly higher percentage were wide open. That's not to knock Dawkins, he got a serious stroke, he just was never the focus of the defense. Langon has the highest career average of this group at .426. He also took quite a few contested shots but if I remember correctly, he kept closer to the line than the others. In other words, he was very accurate but I don't think he had quite the range.

Great post. Dawkins was one of my favorite recent players -- his shot was so smooth and consistent. But you're absolutely right about the pitfall of comparing pure shooting percentage. JJ was simply unreal-- most of his shots were off screens or dribbles. He rarely had time to set his feet and take a pass (like most of Dre's shots) and his only uncontested shots tended to be from around 30 feet. Redick remains to me the most amazing shooter I've seen in a quarter century of watching Duke basketball. If Cook is elite (and I'm a big fan of Cook), we need another category above that for Redick.

[The Gordog]

What I think makes Quinn unique is how well rounded his game has become. First off, he has a lot of defensive potential, as shown by his guarding of Paige and Grant. On offense, he has developed beautifully. I used to cringe when he drived. Now, he is really showing off a high mental IQ that wasn't shown as much his first 3 years. The floater, pull-up, and the occasional insane drive that gets the roll more than in the past is amazing. When he drives now and does attack the rim, I become vaguely reminded of Kyrie. I don't think I realized before this season how good a shooter he was either, but I definitely believe he has improved over the course of his 4 years.

I am so happy to see the energy he used to spend pouting instead being used to get after it on defense. He has really adopted the mindset of "Next Play".

I have always loved Quinn. I feel like his HS injury slowed his Freshman year development and the next 2 years he was not asked to be a main scorer. First taking a back seat to Mason, Ryan and Seth and then behind Jabari, and Hood. This year his shot attempts is second only to Jah.

I feel like he kicked it up a notch at the beginning of the year, and in this 5 game (so far) tear he's on he found an even higher gear. He's shooting .535 overall in the last 5 games, showing much better shot selection which we have all noticed with our own eye test(s). .488 from deep is just one part of his total game butt-kickery.

[Wander]

If Cook is elite (and I'm a big fan of Cook), we need another category above that for Redick.

Yeah - Cook is a great shooter. If you want to use the word "elite," that's fine too. But every single year fans of multiple teams try to say their guy is having such a great 3 point shooting season that they're up there with the historical best - Steve Novak of Marquette, Chris Lofton of Tennessee, Lee Humphrey of Florida, Andre Dawkins of Duke, etc etc - and it's never true. For college 3 point shooters, there's Stephen Curry and JJ Redick, and then everyone else is a full level below that.

[SupaDave]

Yeah - Cook is a great shooter. If you want to use the word "elite," that's fine too. But every single year fans of multiple teams try to say their guy is having such a great 3 point shooting season that they're up there with the historical best - Steve Novak of Marquette, Chris Lofton of Tennessee, Lee Humphrey of Florida, Andre Dawkins of Duke, etc etc - and it's never true. For college 3 point shooters, there's Stephen Curry and JJ Redick, and then everyone else is a full level below that.

Tricky statement you make there b/c before there was a Redick there was Steve Kerr and I'd argue he's one of the best of all time. And I'm a JJ fan but Steve Kerr only got to play with the 3 point line one year in college and he shot nearly 60% that year (going an insane 114 out 199 his senior year of course).

[wavedukefan70s]

Cooks development has absolutely risen above what I thought he would be two years ago.

[Dr. Rosenrosen]

Yeah - Cook is a great shooter. If you want to use the word "elite," that's fine too. But every single year fans of multiple teams try to say their guy is having such a great 3 point shooting season that they're up there with the historical best - Steve Novak of Marquette, Chris Lofton of Tennessee, Lee Humphrey of Florida, Andre Dawkins of Duke, etc etc - and it's never true. For college 3 point shooters, there's Stephen Curry and JJ Redick, and then everyone else is a full level below that.

I think Kyle Korver would beg to differ.

[Tripping William]

Yeah - Cook is a great shooter. If you want to use the word "elite," that's fine too. But every single year fans of multiple teams try to say their guy is having such a great 3 point shooting season that they're up there with the historical best - Steve Novak of Marquette, Chris Lofton of Tennessee, Lee Humphrey of Florida, Andre Dawkins of Duke, etc etc - and it's never true. For college 3 point shooters, there's Stephen Curry and JJ Redick, and then everyone else is a full level below that.

Tricky statement you make there b/c before there was a Redick there was Steve Kerr and I'd argue he's one of the best of all time. And I'm a JJ fan but Steve Kerr only got to play with the 3 point line one year in college and he shot nearly 60% that year (going an insane 114 out 199 his senior year of course).

I think Kyle Korver would beg to differ.

Stephen Curry's male parental unit might, too, had then been an arc in the Metro Conference back then . . . .

[Wander]

Tricky statement you make there b/c before there was a Redick there was Steve Kerr and I'd argue he's one of the best of all time. And I'm a JJ fan but Steve Kerr only got to play with the 3 point line one year in college and he shot nearly 60% that year (going an insane 114 out 199 his senior year of course).

Stephen Curry's male parental unit might, too, had then been an arc in the Metro Conference back then . . . .

Oh, I fully agree with you guys that there are plenty of players who could be up there had they played with a 3 point line for an entire career, including Kerr. I'm just thinking of college 3 point shooters, so guys who actually played most/all of their career with the line. In which case, I stand by my ranking of Curry, Redick, then everyone else below that.

[johnb]

He's definitely elite and a real favorite.

He's not in the league of a JJ or Korver as a pure shooter, imho, but he is very disciplined and tends to take the same very successful shot over and over. It's generally a set shot off a good pass. He doesn't create his own 3 point shot, rarely tries a crazy shot, and isn't chewing up a chunk of the clock trying to get his own shot. It's all within the team concept. And he's been absolutely cold blooded, over and over. Love his game and his improvement.

I'd also agree that he may well have a career at the next level. He doesn't give up the rock, can play within the team concept, and is able to make the 3 when left alone (which he presumably would be in the NBA). With these characteristics, he's more likely to stick around the league than either Seth or Nolan.