The Golden State Warriors, for one reason or another, just have not been able to conjure the same magic they had in the 2021-22 season. Entering their Thursday night clash against the Boston Celtics with a 22-22 record, head coach Steve Kerr knew he had to do something to ignite a spark that could, perhaps, be the catalyst for their season's turnaround. Thus, he inserted Jordan Poole into the starting lineup in Kevon Looney's place.
Alas, Steve Kerr's chess move may have worked for stretches, but it still didn't result in a victory. The Warriors ended up relinquishing their fourth quarter lead en route to a 121-118 loss, even with each of their starters scoring in double digits. However, Kerr clearly sees something good in this change; hence, he plans to continue rolling with this new starting unit. But how does Kevon Looney feel about his demotion to the second unit?
To his credit, Looney is taking the move to the bench in stride. Speaking with reporters, the 26-year old center revealed that he is not harboring any ill-will following this demotion.
“We change our lineups all the time. I’m usually the first guy to get changed. You see your best player (Stephen Curry) come off the bench in a playoff game, it can happen to anybody. I don’t take it personally,” Looney said, per Anthony Slater of The Athletic.
Of course, Stephen Curry only came off the bench in last season's playoffs since he was coming off an injury. That point aside, Kevon Looney does have plenty of experience coming off the bench. And his performance has rarely ever suffered as a result.
For the final three games of the 2022 NBA Finals (all Warriors wins), the Warriors called upon him off the pine and he delivered – gobbling up tons of rebounds to keep possessions alive.
Moreover, it's no secret that Jordan Poole has played extremely better as a starter than a microwave spark plug sixth man. He's averaging 26.7 points, 4.2 assists and 3.1 rebounds in 23 games as a starter compared to 15.2 points, 4.7 assists and 2.2 rebounds in 22 games off the bench.
It remains to be seen if the Warriors' new starting five leads to better results. But one thing's for sure: Kevon Looney will continue to impact the game the same way, his role notwithstanding.
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