Golden State Warriors: Ranking the last 10 first-round picks
By Drew Taylor
Kevon Looney (Pick #30 in the 2015 NBA Draft)
On the night before the 2015 NBA Draft, freshman Kevon Looney was expected to be off the board by the middle of the first round. The report that he had recent surgery done on his hip, however, caused him to fall to the Golden State Warriors with the 30th pick.
Out of UCLA, Looney is a stocky 220 lbs forward/center. Though he lacks explosion from hip injuries and is stuck between positions at an awkward height of 6’9”, Looney is best known for his defensive switching with his wide 7’4” wingspan.
He’s played all five career seasons with the Warriorsand didn’t become a rotational player until 2017-18 since the squad already had five other centers on the roster.
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Though he only averages 4.4 points and 3.7 rebounds per game in his career, Golden State obviously sees something in Kevon Looney that we don’t; last summer, the Warriors inked Looney to a 3 year $15 million deal to be a role player on one of the worst teams in the Western Conference (and in the NBA, for that matter).
Looney’s 2019-20 season is something to ponder over; he’s been sidelined with a “sore hip” and nerve issues in his hamstrings that cause him to lose feeling in certain limbs. He’s missed almost two-thirds of the current season, and it seems the Warriors are playing it safe with the recently extended role player.
Though a reliable finisher, Looney is mainly useful as a defensive presence near and around the rim with his stocky build.
He’s shown nothing special (or worthy of $5 million a year for the next three years), but Looney has provided solid minutes for the Warriors and solidified himself as a decent asset for an organization looking to return to prominence.