It feels like it’s been an eternity since the NBA suspended operations on March 11 after Rudy Gobert tested positive for the coronavirus.
And Alex Caruso, as well as the rest of the Los Angeles Lakers, have found themselves especially miserable entering a 14-day quarantine without any access to basketball.
The NBA ordered that all team facilities shut down until they can determine next steps in dealing with this pandemic. Then, it was revealed that two Lakers tested positive, meaning the whole team must be on quarantine for 14 days.
It’s unlike anything the sports world has ever faced before, but it’s absolutely necessary to keep players safe.
Caruso completely understands the reason behind the quarantine but has found himself doing ‘all homework’ without access to basketball, according to Tyler Shaw of KBTX-TV:
“Not a gym. We have to be on quarantine. That was the recommendation, the 14 day quarantine after they figured out somebody on the team had it. I’m doing all homework nowadays. I’m looking forward to, eagerly, getting back on the basketball court,” explained Caruso.
Caruso is not one of the players on the Lakers that’s lucky enough to have a home gym so for him, this is a full 14 days without basketball. It seems that he’s shifted his attention fully to the mental aspect of the game as that is really all he has left to focus on.
Their quarantine began on March 18 when the entirety of the team was tested, meaning they will need to stay in relative isolation until April 1. This certainly feels like a nightmare scenario for a group of players who had just finished the best weekend of the 2019-20 NBA season just a couple weeks ago.
Hopefully, the NBA can soon get the okay from health officials to re-open team facilities at the very least. This way, players can stay in shape and stay mentally focused on the game of basketball. Otherwise, when basketball does eventually return, it may be hard to restore the magic of this season.