Steve Kerr has a name for the braintrust of the long-tenured Warriors championship core.
As the franchise sifted through the possibilities of punishment for Draymond Green for punching teammate Jordan Poole at a practice last week, it leaned on the insights of its veteran players. We can assume that 34-year-old Steph Curry and 39-year-old Andre Iguodala had a say on the matter, while 32-year-old Klay Thompson might have had input. Well, I guess you never know with Klay.
But the Warriors sure put a lot of value into the perspective of Kevon Looney on the matter. The 26-year-old is about to enter his eighth NBA season but has always carried himself as a sage vet beyond his years, so it’s no surprise he holds a seat on the Warriors’ leadership council.
“As coach called ‘em, ‘The Elders,’” second-year wing Moses Moody said. “They had their meetings and their conversations. Loon is such a level-headed guy. He’s like a rock of the team, so I’d imagine he was instrumental in this decision.”
Ultimately, the Warriors decided that Draymond deserves a chance to return to the team, starting with Thursday's practice. He is expected to play in Friday's preseason finale against the Houston Rockets and in Tuesday's season opener against the Los Angeles Lakers. Draymond was fined an undisclosed amount, but ultimately missed out on three practices and two preseason games while he was away from the team.
Moody wasn’t privy to all the conversations that went down the past week, but his take was corroborated by Kerr.
“Loon is incredible,” Kerr said. “This guy has so much wisdom. He’s so quiet that if you don't pay attention, you may not realize that he has become a moral compass of our team. He’s a special human being. Special. He was a key instrument in everything that we've had in the last week to try to get things back on track. I'll ride with Loon forever. This is a special man.”
Looney’s humble and ho-hum attitude has endeared himself to Dub Nation over the years. He’s got three rings under his belt but mostly rode the bench for the first two of his career, in 2017 and 2018. Loon finally got his shine in 2021-22, when he played all 104 games and put together some monster efforts in closeout games.
He was rewarded with a three-year, $22.5 million contract in free agency this offseason and stayed with Golden State despite having similar offers. Clearly it’s been a beneficial relationship for both sides.
Looney said he thinks the Warriors are built to withstand the storm caused by Green’s punch.
“It’s difficult, but I think we got the leadership and the right people to get through it,” Looney said. “Whenever adversity hits, this team usually responds the right way. This is the ultimate test for us and I think we’ll be able to get through it.
“Jordan, he’s gonna work and do what he needs to do. Draymond, he’s a veteran and he’s been a leader on this team for a reason. He’s got some work to do to get that trust back from us, but I think he’s willing to do it.”
Looney is a Young OG, if that makes sense. His age doesn’t define his status on Dubs. But it wasn’t always this way.
The soft-spoken Looney broke into the league at 19 out of UCLA and appeared in just five games his rookie season. It took him about four seasons to become a rotation player for Kerr.
“My first couple years I didn't say much, I didn’t do too much talking,” Looney said. ”To be honest, I was trying to figure it out, figure out myself and what my role would be on his team. The last few years, I kinda been developing to be that guy that guys can come talk to, give ‘em direction. I kinda know the system better now.”
In 2022, Looney has taken third-year center James Wiseman under his wing and proved to be a valuable mentor for the 21-year-old. Wiseman has been through a lot his first two seasons, as a torn meniscus cut short his rookie year after 39 games and wiped out his second season completely. Wiseman has looked like a real plus for the Warriors so far in preseason after picking up his knowledge from Loon.
“I just try to give guys the blueprint for what’s gonna happen,” Looney said. “It’s a recipe for winning for us. The patterns are kind of the same for everybody and you gotta kind of be patient, wait your turn. I just tried to get that message out, and then I became more vocal, more comfortable. And I think guys lean on me a little bit more.”
We know that Steph, Klay, Dray and Andre will eventually be immortalized with statues in front of Chase Center one day. Joe Lacob has said as much. But with a title or two more? The Warriors might need to bust out some bronze for Loon, too.
