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The Golden State Warriors have had about as topsy turvy of a season as any of the top teams in the NBA this year.
Stephen Curry played like he was winning another MVP award, then went on a huge slump before landing on the injury report. Klay Thompson seemingly did the opposite, returning after two years sidelined with injury, struggling for stretches, then breaking out with the best game of his season against the Atlanta Hawks on Friday night. Injuries to Draymond Green, Andre Iguodala, and now a season-ender for James Wiseman have prevented us from seeing them at full strength.
But the one constant has been Kevon Looney. The longtime Warriors center hasn't missed a game yet this season and started in every single game. That is, until he was moved to the bench in their last win against the Hawks in favor of rookie Jonathan Kuminga.
Warriors head coach Steve Kerr explained the decision, pointing out that while Golden State has historically found success with Looney alongside Draymond, it usually happens with Stephen Curry spacing the floor around them. Losing the player with the greatest gravitational pull on offense in league history definitely hurts your team's spacing.
Via The Athletic's Anthony Slater:
“We’ve started Draymond and Loon for a long time together,” Kerr said. “But without Steph, the spacing (problem) is more magnified. Steph sort of negates the lack of spacing, in terms of lineup combinations. Without him, it becomes more prominent and we have a tougher time scoring.”
Klay Thompson spoke out on the professionalism of his teammate since 2015, taking the sacrifice in stride for the good of the team. While the move didn't result in a win, it did free up enough space for Klay Thompson to find his shooting stroke for 37 points.
“Big shoutout to Loon,” Klay Thompson said. “He’s such a great professional. He’s been a rock for us the whole season, hasn’t missed a game. I think Coach just wanted to get more spacing, attacking downhill. … I’m very impressed with Looney’s professionalism. He’s one of the best in the biz. I look forward to him getting rewarded for it this summer in free agency.”
In the grand scheme of things, a move to the bench is just a temporary change in title for Kevon Looney. He still took the floor more than Kuminga, who played 14 minutes compared to Looney's 24. He even got more burn than his season average of 21.7 minutes per game. The Warriors are currently tinkering with their lineups as they try to stem the tide while awaiting Stephen Curry's return. He could just as easily be back in the starting lineup as they take on the Washington Wizards next, matching up against the 7'3″ Kristaps Porzingis.
But of course, being an entrenched starter in the NBA is a status symbol of sorts. It's not uncommon for players to express discontent when being demoted to the bench. While it's more common with fading star players compared to role players like Kevon Looney, replacing the lone constant in what has been a revolving starting rotation could deservedly draw gripes from a more egocentric player.
But that's clearly not Loon, who seemed in high spirits about Steve Kerr's decision to move him to the pine. In fact, it's a move that he admittedly saw coming. The Warriors big man spoke out on how it's actually part of the Warriors process to have the team's starting center benched.
“He’s been talking about lineup changes, mixing and matching things, changing some things around,” Looney told The Athletic. “Kind of knew something might happen. He didn’t say nothing until today. I wasn’t shocked.”
“It’s not a Warriors season unless a center gets benched at least one time,” Looney said, laughing. “I’ve seen (Andrew) Bogut handle it, Zaza (Pachulia), David West, JaVale (McGee). We’ve all been there before. You just gotta stay ready. Andre (Iguodala) was an All-Star before he got here and came off the bench. A lot of guys have had to sacrifice. I’m just one of them.”
Kevon Looney has been the dependable, immovable rock for the Golden State Warriors this season. His willingness to adapt to what the team needs of him is part of his value.
