Golden State Warriors: Evaluating The Baby Warriors Production So Far

Kevon Looney

Damian Jones is one of the four Warriors besides Patrick McCaw who causes the team to have a negative net rating this season. Kevon Looney, interestingly enough, is not.

The second-year forward out of UCLA barely played in his rookie season because of an injury, but he’s already appeared in 43 games this year. Looney averages less than 10 minutes per game, but that number is steadily rising as he fills in for Pachulia and West.

Looney’s per game statistics are quiet due to his low minutes average, but his per 36 numbers are impressive. Looney is posting 11.2 points, 9.9 rebounds, 2.2 assists, 1.2 steals and 1.4 blocks per 36 this season.

The 6’9″ center hasn’t done all too much besides put himself in good positions to catch passes from the stars on this team on offense, but realistically that’s all Golden State really needs him to do.

As long as he stays active while other Dubs are cutting, Looney can continue to cash in on buckets like this one.

After slinking away from his man, Looney swings back around and cuts to the basket just in time to catch an easy pass from Curry and slam it on home. That’s not a flashy play, but the set-up there was nice.

Looney’s shot-blocking has helped the Warriors as well. He’s undersized for a big man, but a lack of size hasn’t stopped Draymond Green from being one of the better defenders in the last ten years.

Looney is no Draymond, but the Warriors defense is damn good with him on the floor. The Dubs are allowing just 101.2 points per 100 possessions in Looney’s 401 minutes played this season, a mark that would rank second among NBA teams.

It helps that Draymond has been on the floor for 104 of those minutes, but Looney has been strong on that end even without Green out there. Looney is still fairly raw, but he’s finding ways to contribute now, which is a good sign for his NBA future.