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When the NBA indefinitely suspended its season in March, the overwhelming assumption was that the Los Angeles Lakers would benefit from it because their 35-year-old superstar, LeBron James, would get some rest before the start of the playoffs. James dismissed that idea almost immediately, saying that the suspension came during a time when he was “turning the corner” physically, and that it’s had the “opposite” effect on his body.
It’s now been three months since James has played a game of NBA basketball (or anything that resembles it), and there are people that are concerned about whether or not he’ll be able to physically get back to where he was before the season was suspended — Quinn Cook is not one of those people.
In an interview with Paolo Ugetti of The Ringer, Cook said he believes in James’ ability to take care of his body, and that James will continue to lead the charge for Lakers once they start playing again:
LeBron has been pretty active showing his workouts on social media. How do you feel like he’s going to come back?
I know LeBron’s going to come back and not miss a beat. I know how hard he works. I know how disciplined he is. That’s just how he is as a worker. He has to lead by example, so I know he’s working smart, working hard over this break. I know he’s going to set the tone for us early when we all get back together.
If there’s one thing that we know about James, it’s that he takes care of his body. If he didn’t, it’s safe to assume he wouldn’t be averaging 25.7 points, 10.6 assists and 7.9 rebounds per game in his 17th season.
It might be unrealistic to assume that James will get back to the level it took him six months to build up to, but it wouldn’t be a surprise to see him do it given how committed he is to preserving his body. Let’s all hope Cook’s optimism isn’t misplaced.
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