The Los Angeles Lakers went into the offseason wanting a franchise center, and they believe they’ve got one in Walker Kessler. But their frontcourt shopping didn’t stop there. They also needed a backup big, someone who could handle the reserve five spot depending on the matchup, and Kevon Looney has quickly emerged as one of their best answers.
Looney arrived as one of the Lakers’ later free-agent additions after the team’s initial spending spree, and he brings a very specific edge to a roster built around Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves. Doncic, especially, thrives in a more structured attack built on pick-and-roll action, and Looney has long made a living as one of the NBA’s better screen-setters.
That skill set has been a big part of Looney’s career from the start. For his first 10 seasons, he played next to two of the greatest screen-users the league has ever seen in Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson. In an era where setting a clean, effective screen has become something of a disappearing craft, Looney sees himself as one of the players still doing it right.
“It is [a lost art], but there’s some great screeners in the league and I feel like I’m one of them. It’s different for each player.
Every scorer wants a screen set a certain way. So for me, just kind of learning what they want and executing it to the best of m ability,” Looney said following Lakers practice on Oct.
- “I’m kind of learning fast what Luka and AR want.
There’s still room for improvement, it’s the preseason, but we’re starting good with that chemistry.”
Looney’s path to Los Angeles included a short and quiet stop elsewhere. He spent last season away from the Warriors for the first time, then signed with the New Orleans Pelicans in the 2025 offseason. But with little playing time on a disappointing team, he appeared in only 21 games before deciding to move on this summer.
Even now, the two-time NBA champion still has plenty to offer beyond his minutes. His experience has already shown up around the Lakers’ younger players, including Kessler, who has been limited in camp because of a finger injury. Despite that, he’s already taken something from Looney’s approach.
“His screening ability is second to none,” Kessler said after Lakers practice on Oct. 11.
“His positioning, obviously his size, you can’t really teach that, but his ability to be in the right spot at the right time, get in the way of the defender, I’ve definitely been noticing that. And being like, how can I apply that to my own game.”
With Kessler out for the first three preseason games, head coach JJ Redick has leaned on Looney to start at center in two of them. Looney responded with nine rebounds in 18 minutes in his first outing, then followed it up with five rebounds in 17 minutes in his second start, tying Austin Reaves for second on the team behind Jarred Vanderbilt’s six.
For Looney, lasting in the league has always come down to understanding role. He knew from the beginning that his NBA life wouldn’t look like his college one.
The adjustment meant accepting less freedom, finding a lane, and becoming useful in it. Now, as one of the older voices on the roster, he’s trying to pass that lesson along.
“That’s one of the hardest things as a young guy coming into the NBA. You’re used to being the man of your team, now you come into a situation … a lot of times there’s gonna be a guy that’s already established as a superstar.
You got to learn how to play off him, and it’s not easy to adjust to,” Looney said. “You got to wait your turn and everybody’s not good at being patient and waiting and don’t know how to work when they don’t have the ball in their hands.
“It’s always difficult, but we try to teach all the young guys coming in … talking about learning how to be great in your role and how to be a star in your role, and you can make a lot of money in this league.”
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