Atlanta Hawks: Would Kevon Looney Fit Well In Atlanta?

By Ti Windisch | Jun 14, 2015

January 31, 2015; Los Angeles, CA, USA; UCLA Bruins forward Kevon Looney (5) moves the ball against Colorado Buffaloes forward Wesley Gordon (1) during the first half at Pauley Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports /

The Atlanta Hawks may end up with a Paul Millsap-sized hole at power forward if Millsap decides to leave in free agency this summer. I’ve already covered why that wouldn’t be such a bad thing due to Al Horford being more suited for power forward anyway, but it would still leave Atlanta short one big man.

Luckily before he left the team, Danny Ferry managed to snag a great pick (No. 15 overall) for this upcoming draft from the Brooklyn Nets. That pick may just be good enough for the Hawks to find a great new addition to their frontcourt — Kevon Looney.

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Looney is a Milwaukee native who just finished his freshman season at UCLA and declared for the 2015 NBA Draft. The latest Bleacher Report mock draft has Atlanta selecting Looney with their fifteenth pick, and most mocks so far have Looney making at least that far, so he should be available to the Hawks. But would he be a good pick?

Kevon Looney averaged 11.6 points and 9.2 rebounds per game with the Bruins in just over 30 minutes per game, meaning he was a double-double threat practically every night. He also contributed 1.4 assists, 1.3 steals and 0.9 blocks per game; showing his impact on defense and his modest passing ability.

Those are all positive aspects of Looney’s game: he clearly knows how to score buckets and grab boards, and he also contributes on defense. Another positive part of adding Looney to the frontcourt is of course his cost — rookie contracts are cheap, especially if they’re out of the top 10.

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But that doesn’t give Looney an edge over other prospects, since of course any player selected by Atlanta will cost the same amount. It does make him more valuable than adding a free agent though, who would probably cost more than Looney if their talents were roughly equal.

One thing a player like Bobby Portis has over Looney is height, and thus versatility. Portis is 6’11” and over 240 pounds, meaning he could slide over and play minutes at center as well as power forward. Looney is just 6’9″ and 220 pounds, meaning larger centers could bully him.

On the other hand, Looney (like Portis) is a capable three-point shooter, meaning the Hawks could very well throw Looney in at center sometimes and run a Golden State Warriors-esque offense by going small and having five shooters on the floor.

I do like Looney’s game, but I don’t think he’ll be the best big man left to Atlanta. At this point I still give Portis an edge over Looney. I’ve written about why I like Portis before, but his numbers really show why I think he’s better than Looney.

Portis averages 17.5 points per game in just under 30 minutes, and he also shot 46.7 percent from three his last season at Arkansas. That’s a full five percent better than Looney from long-range, plus Portis is bigger and scores more as well.

In my opinion, those things add up to make Portis a superior player, especially considering he should be available for the Hawks to pick him. Looney averaged more rebounds per game in college, but only by about 0.3 per game, and Looney played an extra minute per game.

So if their rebounding is a wash, that makes Portis the superior scorer, shooter (considering both threes and free throws) and shot blocker–whereas Looney has the edge in steals. That’s a lot going Portis’ way, and I think given the potential departure of Millsap it would be wise for Atlanta to restock their frontcourt by selecting the big razorback if they get a chance to.

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