Kevon Looney is back in a spot that could make all the difference in his career, and once again the formula starts with a superstar guard making life easier.
At Golden State, Stephen Curry’s movement - with a little help from Klay Thompson - gave Looney the runway to become a useful piece on multiple playoff teams. His value came from the dirty work: setting strong screens, fitting next to Draymond Green, and thriving in a role where Curry’s gravity covered for the limitations in his game.
Now Looney is hoping Luka Doncic can do something similar.
After a rough lone season in New Orleans, where he played just 21 games for the Pelicans and struggled to carve out any real role, Looney signed a one-year minimum deal with the Los Angeles Lakers this summer. That move gives the 30-year-old center a fresh chance next to another elite creator, one whose playmaking could open a lane back to relevance.
The fit won’t look exactly like it did in Golden State. Looney won’t be chasing the same off-ball screen game he built with Curry and Thompson. But he should get plenty of chances to work in pick-and-roll action with Doncic, and that alone gives him a path to be useful again.
"I'm excited to be on this team and be able to learn from him (Doncic) and be able to play pick and roll. ... He's probably the best pick and roll player in the league," Looney said in an exclusive interview with ESPN LA's Mason & Ireland.
The challenge is obvious: Doncic is going to draw doubles, and Looney has to turn those advantages into actual production. Last season, he averaged just 2.8 points with the Pelicans, and he’s not the kind of big man who’s going to explode above the rim on the roll.
That’s where the concern starts for Lakers fans. Looney is one of only two bona fide centers on the roster behind injury-prone big man Walker Kessler, and without another addition in the middle, Los Angeles will be asking a lot from a player whose recent seasons have been uneven.
Still, if Looney is going to find his old level again - the one that made him a regular starter and a 20-plus-minute player for the Warriors - it will almost certainly be because Doncic makes the game easier around him.
In Other News...
Anfernee Simons May Regret How He Handled Warriors Interest
Anfernee Simons had a chance to land in a situation where the ball could have found him often, but he chose Philadelphia instead, signing a two-year, $12.3 million deal with the 76ers after turning down the Warriors. For a scorer like Simons, fit matters almost as much as money, and the move immediately invites questions about how his game will translate in a deeper rotation.
In Golden State, he might have been positioned as the third offensive option behind Stephen Curry and Kristaps Porzingis, with a clearer path to steady touches and defined responsibility. Instead, he is heading into a crowded setup where his role could be much harder to pin down, and that makes this one of those decisions that could shape both his playing time and his long-term value. [Read more 🡒]
Warriors Were Right To Push Back On The Kings Over Kuminga
The Kings have circled Jonathan Kuminga for a while, but the Warriors were always within their rights to be cautious about how that chase unfolded. Sacramentos interest was real enough last offseason to bring offers to the table, and Golden State turned them away before eventually keeping Kuminga in the fold and later moving him elsewhere. From the Warriors side, that was less about shutting a door on a player than refusing to accept a return that did not match the value they believed he held.
The bigger issue now is that the market around Kuminga has not really moved into a place where Sacramento can do much more than sniff around. The Kings have not gotten deep into sign-and-trade talks, and their cap situation leaves them with little room to add him in a meaningful way without that kind of arrangement. Atlanta negotiations have also gone nowhere, which leaves Kuminga in a familiar spot: a player with real interest around the league, but not yet a clean path to the kind of deal that would settle the matter. [Read more 🡒]
Warriors Face A Steph Curry Dilemma Fans Can't Ignore
The idea of the Warriors even having to think about Stephen Curry in anything other than a retirement context tells you how quickly the franchise has shifted from dynasty to long-view planning. Curry remains the central draw for Golden State, not just because of what he still means on the floor, but because his presence drives ticket sales and the rest of the business that comes with having one of the leagues most recognizable stars.
Still, the front office is staring at a future in which that equation changes, and it has to start preparing for life after Curry sooner rather than later. The challenge is finding another marketable superstar to help carry the brand, whether that comes through a trade or the draft, because the Warriors know replacing his on-court impact is one thing and replacing his pull with fans is something else entirely. [Read more 🡒]