Golden State Warriors: Kevon Looney Setback Is Manageable

When the Golden State Warriors snagged Kevon Looney with the 30th pick in the 2015 NBA Draft, it looked like an absolute steal. “The rich get richer,” everyone agreed. When his draft stock slipped from a potential lottery pick to the very end of the first round, the consensus was that if he could get healthy, the Dubs had just brightened an already bright future.

Unfortunately for Looney and the Warriors, that future will have to wait a little longer with the not so unexpected news that the rookie will miss 4-6 months after undergoing hip surgery to repair a torn labrum.

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Looney’s hip issue was no secret the day of the draft. In fact, between that and being flagged with a degenerative back, his health was the very reason his draft stock slipped so drastically. The news that Looney’s hip would probably require surgery at some point scared off a lot of teams who were not in a position to wait for a guy who was already considered a project to get healthy.

The defending champions, however, had the luxury of taking that gamble on a 19-year-old with a lot of raw potential. With one of the deeper and more well balanced rosters in the league, the Dubs didn’t need Looney to come in and contribute right away. Even if he required surgery in that worst-case scenario, Golden State would be just fine without him.

Well folks, we’ve arrived at that worst-case scenario for the time being. Barring another setback (Get it? Setback?), 4-6 months is hardly anything to start fretting about.

It’s true, the Dubs are not quite as deep as they were last season. The offseason departures of David Lee (via trade) and Justin Holiday (via free agency) leaves two holes on the fringe of the rotation. As a rookie, whatever minutes Looney managed to earn were expected to come from Lee’s spot off the bench.

It’s also worth noting that the Warriors were one David Lee substitution away from really being in trouble in the 2015 NBA Finals.

However, even with Looney sidelined until at least the end of December, the Warriors are still in great shape. Lee and Holiday were hardly staples in the rotation during the regular season, and even if Looney misses the full six months, that’ll have him resuming basketball activities at the end of February with almost two full months of the regular season play left.

There will be no rush to get him back on the court at that point, but there’s a good chance this surgery doesn’t even sideline him for his whole rookie season.

While it’s unfortunate to confirm the worst fears that Looney’s hip did in fact require surgery, it makes the most sense to address the situation now, with the team still riding high as defending champions. Looney is still about a year and a half away from being able to legally drink, so taking care of this problem sooner rather than later is the most prudent long-term approach.

A 6’9″ power forward out of UCLA, Looney possesses a versatile skill set that, theoretically, makes him a great fit on a team filled with players who can play multiple positions and create mismatches on both ends of the floor.

In his one season with the Bruins, Looney averaged 11.6 points and 9.2 rebounds per game while displaying tenacity on the offensive glass, the ability to spread the floor with a three-point shot and the propensity for handling the ball.

During NBA Summer League, Looney averaged 9.3 points and 7.2 rebounds in 19.7 minutes per game.

Next: Golden State Warriors: Grading The Offseason

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