SAN FRANCISCO — Kevon Looney used to be a one-man show at Alexander Hamilton high school, averaging 27.9 points, 12.7 rebounds, 7.0 assists and 8.0 blocks per game as a senior. Jordan Poole was just a middle schooler at the time, but he heard about Loon as a young hoopster in the Milwaukee area.
Nine years later and they’re teammates. On occasion, they can be spotted warming up together on the floor before games. They can always be spotted in the box score, because they’ve each played in all 64 contests for the Dubs this season, including Friday’s 108-99 win over the New Orleans Pelicans.
Among NBA teammates, only the New York Knicks’ pair of Isaiah Hartenstein and Julius Randle have appeared in more games (65) together. Loon and Poole got it on lock.
"That's something growing up in Milwaukee -- it's a blue-collar city,” Looney said. “Everybody just loves to play, loves to hoop. There's nothing more fun than the game."
Much has been made about Looney’s ironman streak, as he has played in 175 straight regular season games, which is the second-longest streak in the NBA behind Mikal Bridges (373 games). But Poole has quietly appeared in 113 straight regular season games, dating back to his stint in the NBA’s health and safety protocols in December 2021, which forced him to quarantine in a Boston hotel room for 10 days.
Before that, he hadn’t missed a game since returning from the G League bubble in March 2021. Poole is still bitter that his consecutive games played streak isn’t higher.
“I shouldn’t have even missed those six (games). I felt fine,” Poole said of his stint in protocols. “Honestly, it’s just a competition between me and Loon at this point. We’re both just really hard-working guys from the Midwest. We don’t like to miss work. Gotta come in every day and be available for the team and have our durability.”
Poole has suffered his fair share of nicks this season, recently been on the injury report and made a brief trip to the locker room on Thursday. But he’s still been in there every game, averaging about 31 minutes per night.
“Durability is a huge aspect evaluating a player,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. “Jordan does a great job playing every night and keeping his body ready, keeping his mind ready. He’s been great in that regard.”
They might be from the same city, but the games of Loon and Poole are worlds apart. Loon is a lunch-pail and hard hat guy, who doesn’t say much and is content with his role doing the dirty work. Poole is a Steph Curry protégé, who remains a showman and one of the flashiest players in the game.
On Friday night, Looney found some daylight in pick-and-roll situations with Klay Thompson and finished with 10 points and 11 rebounds to record his 11th double-double of the year, and fifth in the past eight games. He also caught a nice dime from Poole and threw it down for a dunk. Poole, meanwhile, finished with 18 points and seven assists, as he struggled with his shot (3-of-13 from the field).
Another main difference has been Loon’s consistency, but Poole’s volatility. You pretty much know what you’re going to get from Loon and his 24 minutes a night – a solid defender who doesn’t get fooled, and a reliable rebounder who can set screens and get opportunistic buckets. You pretty much never know what you’re gonna get in Poole yet – whether it be a 40-point explosion or a turnover-riddled game that makes you say, ‘Really?’
Poole’s workload should get easier in the coming days, as Steph is expecting to return Sunday against the Lakers and will command a lot of defensive attention. Loon’s just gotta keep being Loon. The Warriors are gonna need both Milwaukee Men for this late-season push, as they’ve matched their season high with a five-game win streak.
Now they gotta take that success on the road after a perfect homestand.
“I’m very confident,” Looney said. “We know what to do. We’ve been playing better, been building better habits. I thought earlier this season when we were winning at home, it was because we were making shots or different things like that. The last few games, we’ve been playing our style of basketball and winning the right way. I think we can carry that on to the road.”
