Longtime Golden State Warriors center Kevon Looney's future with the team is uncertain as he enters the final year of his contract. Looney was initially expected to be waived by the Warriors earlier this summer but was ultimately kept, possibly to be included in a trade for Paul George or Lauri Markkanen, though neither deal materialized.
Now it looks as though he will be staying put for the time being and Looney seems to be ready for his second chance. He's slimmed down over the summer, which should help him with his mobility and durability.
He has also worked on shooting threes, something that he has abandoned since joining the Warriors. Ironically, when he was playing at UCLA, Looney was more of a shooter, hitting 41.5% of his threes, but he later developed into a traditional big who specialized in defense and rebounding. Nine years later, he could potentially evolve into a player that the Warriors desperately need.
Can Kevon Looney reemerge as a key player on the Golden State Warriors next season?
The Warriors don't have a lot of size up front so they still need him and if he can pose more of a threat on offense, then he suddenly becomes far more valuable to their team. Currently, their frontcourt includes Draymond Green, Kyle Anderson, Jonathan Kuminga, Trayce Jackson-Davis, and Looney, with none of them being high-volume shooters from outside, let alone high-percentage shooters.
That puts more pressure on Curry to offset their lack of spacing and he did quite well last season, leading the league in 3-point attempts and made 3-pointers per game. Still, having a big man who can properly space the floor without being a liability on defense would be helpful and Looney has the chance to be that.
Teams probably will still leave him open from the outside. But if he can attempt at least two threes per game and shoot around league average, then that, coupled with his offensive rebounding and finishing around the rim, would make him a more useful player to the Warriors.
Generally, players slimming down and claiming that they have added a 3-pointer during the offseason is met with skepticism, especially ahead of a contract year. Nevertheless, Looney has previously shown 3-point range and is well-regarded as a hard worker so it's entirely possible he can next season.