The spectre of COVID-19 will hover over the NBA to some extent for the entire season to come. The risk of getting it, the repercussions of a large outbreak, and the cost it exacts from individuals who are infected and their family members will be a constant.
Raptors centre Aron Baynes knows what that is like. He was “knocked on his butt” by the coronavirus in July and he can make a firsthand case to his new teammates on just how important it is to follow protocols, to conduct themselves with equal parts caution and awareness, and to be worried about those around them as much as themselves.