Kevon Looney has been an important member of the Golden State Warriors rotation since being drafted by the franchise in 2015. To begin the season, he was the starting center in Steve Kerr‘s rotation. However, in the last two games, Looney has had a marginal role off the bench as Kerr has been running with a new-look frontcourt that is providing encouraging early signs.
During a recent appearance on the “Willard & Dibs” show, Kerr discussed Looney’s sudden diminished role, and why he came to the decision. He noted that he does think the veteran big man will still have a role to play moving forward, but currently, he is out of the starting lineup picture.
“I don’t think Loon has a bigger fan than me,” Kerr said. “… So this has been a hard thing for me to go away from… He’s my guy and doesn’t mean he’s not going to make an impact. I still think he will but you know, things have turned away from him for the time being.”
Looney has played in 44 games this season. He’s averaging 5.3 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 2.3 assists per night, shooting 61% from the field. However, Kerr appears to be leaning into a more mobile and defensively versatile frontcourt, which could limit Looney’s minutes and impact moving forward.
Steve Kerr on Kevon Looney: “I don’t think Loon has a bigger fan than me… So this has been a hard thing for me to go away from… He’s my guy and doesn’t mean he’s not going to make an impact. I still think he will but you know, things have turned away from him for the time…
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Nevertheless, Looney will likely still see the floor on a nightly basis and could find himself getting spot starts when the matchups favor his more physical approach.
