Golden State Warriors: Complete grades for the 2019 NBA offseason

Re-signing Kevon Looney

Kevon Looney of the Golden State Warriors played the best basketball of his NBA career thus far under the glaring spotlight of the NBA Playoffs, averaging 7.1 points and 4.5 rebounds in 20.6 minutes per game last postseason.

He also shot 68.8 percent from the floor, staying within himself and converting 75.8 percent of his changes at the rim, where he took 62 of his 93 shots.

It’s been a slow build for the former 30th overall pick. He sat out all but five games of his rookie season as he recovered from a hip injury and spent the next two seasons slowly climbing his way up the rotation.

Last season, he played in a career-high 80 games and made 24 starts, logging a career-best 18.5 minutes per game in the process. He averaged 6.3 points and 5.2 rebounds and shot 62.5 percent overall.

Undersized as a 5 at 6-foot-9 and 220 pounds and not a threat to stretch the floor (1-for-10 from 3-point range last season, 5-for-26 in his career), Looney is instead a throwback big man who can play with his back to the basket and finish with power.

With the other three options at the 5 from last season (DeMarcus Cousins, Andrew Bogut and Damian Jones) gone or likely gone (Bogut), Looney figures to operate in a time share at the 5 with new addition Willie Cauley-Stein.

In the end, Looney became a late-first-round rarity, getting a solid second contract of three years and $15 million that includes a player option in the final season of 2021-22.

He’s also still got youth on his side, as he enters his age-23 season on the upswing.

Grade: A-