Kevon Looney lumbers when he moves up and down the basketball court. In Steve Kerr’s quick-moving offense that features one of the game’s slickest and swiftest stars with Steph Curry, Loon is a lead-footed throwback. The antidote for any new-age death lineups for Kerr.
Loon’s job and his game are unglamorous. They don’t sparkle like Curry’s. But in Thursday’s 121-117 overtime loss against the Indiana Pacers, the big man's grind resulted in 13 points, 15 rebounds and a handful of highlights.
The Warriors can be flashy and splashy, especially with the addition of Klay Thompson. Steph, Klay, Draymond Green and Andre Iguodala led the franchise to five straight Finals appearances, but the Dubs dynasty energy extends to Looney, too. He appeared in nine Finals games and was in the starting five the night when Thompson tore his ACL in Game 6 of the 2019 Finals.
This season, Looney and Nemanja Bjelica are the on Warriors to appear in all 45 games. None of them were finer than Thursday night. Looney’s IQ was on full display throughout the night. It started early, when he pulled off a sneaky steal to get the Warriors another possession.
He also turned in some more noteworthy plays, including six offensive rebounds. Looney only took six shots and made five of them.
Looney, who turns 26 on Feb. 6, said he was working hard with the Warriors coaching staff this offseason to improve his offensive game. He’s averaging 6.1 points and career-high 7.2 rebounds per game while shooting 54 percent from the floor. Looney doesn't have much of a vertical leap but remains a sage, smart defender.
Kerr said he’s happy to see Looney playing every night after overcoming two hip surgeries, stomach and nerve issues throughout his seven-year career.
“He’s now in a great place health-wise,” Kerr said. “He’s starting every night and getting a great opportunity and he’s pouncing on it. It’s a combination of all those things coming together at the right time.”
Looney wasn’t on the floor in crunch time as the Warriors hurtled toward the season’s most disappointing defeat, but his early-game contributions were undeniable. Juan Toscano-Anderson entered for Looney with 5:34 left in the fourth quarter, after the Pacers took a 7-0 lead to make it 100-96. Looney never returned, as Kerr kept the lineup small in crunch time. JTA made some plays, but also missed a layup with 1.8 seconds left in regulation.
Listen to Bay Area sports talk now on Audacy and shop the latest Warriors team gear
Looney has racked up double-digit rebounds in each of the past four games and has been playing at a high level since racking up a career-high 18 boards. Three of his four career double-doubles have come this season. Looney has always had a great sense of anticipation for rebounding. Looney ranked second in the Pac-12 in rebounding during his lone season at UCLA in 2014-15, but hasn’t been able to translate that success to the NBA, until now.
“There’s a lot of work that goes into understanding rebounding and positioning and boxing out and which offensive boards to go for, which ones not to go for,” Kerr said. “He’s learned all that stuff because he’s a really good student of the game. I’m thrilled for Loon. He’s just having a fantastic year.”
With Green expected to be out for at least the rest of the month, Looney’s role as the lone true big man on the team is as crucial as ever. During Wednesday’s appearance on 95.7 The Game’s “Damon & Ratto”, Kerr explained Looney’s value to the Warriors.
“I think you have to go back to Moses Malone to see a guy rebounding like Looney right now,” Kerr joked. “ He helps us in so many ways every single night. He’s rock solid. He’s part of our foundation and he’s just a dream to coach.”
