T
he Golden State Warriors look vastly different this season and it is showing through the first 20 games of the season. Sitting at 11-10, the Warriors have been good at times, but have not been unable to really separate themselves as a team to beat in the league. Despite still having members of their core from the four championship teams, such as Stephen Curry and Draymond Green, the Warriors as a whole are still looking to find their footing with their new-look roster.
One of the players that the Warriors lost was Kevon Looney— a key contributor on three of the Warriors’ championship teams. On the Warriors from 2015-25, this is the first season that the Warriors have not had Looney on their roster, after he agreed to join the New Orleans Pelicans in the offseason. But before he left, Looney made a comment about how he felt that the Warriors forgot about him towards the end of his tenure, falling completely out of last season’s playoff rotation. But before the Warriors’ faced the Pelicans on Saturday, Nov. 29, Looney clarified his comments, expressing that there is zero resentment towards his former franchise.
Looney’s Comments on November 29
In a pregame press conference, Looney was quick to clear the air, saying that the comments he made before his departure had nothing to do with how he felt towards the organization. In fact, Looney admits that while it was frustrating for him to not play much during the playoffs last season, a lot of that was due to his own competitive nature.
“It wasn’t really difficult,” Looney said. “Steve is the guy that changes lineups, and you kind of have to wait on your opportunity, and he does it to anybody on the team. He just wants to win. He puts the best lineups out there just to win games. And so, it was a real frustration. I kind of know how he thinks, and I know what he’s trying to do. As a player, you see the matchups, and you just want something bad to get out there, to leave an impact. It was more along that line, but it was no hard feelings. You know, 10 years, I had a lot of great memories. More great than bad. There were times when I probably didn’t deserve the opportunity, and the coaching staff put me out there, so it kind of all balances out.”
Signing a one year deal with the Pelicans in July, Looney has played more of a supporting role in New Orleans and is yet to play at least 20 minutes in a game, but has proven that his defensive skillset is still a huge asset. In 11 games played with six starts, Looney is averaging 2.9 points, 4.0 rebounds and 1.5 assists.
Looney’s Career Thus Far
A standout at UCLA in 2014-15, Looney was drafted 30th overall by the Warriors in the 2015 NBA Draft and joined a franchise that had just won its first championship since the 1970s. And while Looney played very sparingly in his first few years in the NBA, he had two championships by the time his third season was over and was on the Warriors team that finished 73-9 in 2015-16 and broke the NBA regular season wins record. Still only 29-years-old, Looney will look to revive his career and prove that he still has what it takes to be a legit NBA starter.
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