<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/warriors-news-why-kevon-looney-out-vs-clippers');   ga('set', 'title', 'Why Warriors’ Kevon Looney is out vs. Clippers');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Why-Kevon-Looney-is-out-vs.-Clippers.jpg"></figure><h1>Why Warriors’ Kevon Looney is out vs. Clippers</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-11-18T14:54:50-08:00">November 18th, 2:54pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-11-18T15:18:23-08:00">November 18th, 3:18pm</time><address><a>Matt De Lima</a>Matt De Lima is an Associate Editor for NFL and college football at ClutchPoints. He has been covering sports for over 12 years at sites like Sports Illustrated, The Game Day, and countless others. Born and raised in California, he is a graduate of Virginia Tech and a diehard Hokies fan who now resides in southern Maryland.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Golden State Warriors</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Golden State Warriors are on a roll, winners of their last three and eight of their last nine games. Some things never seem to change, like the Warriors winning ways and <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/warriors-news-draymond-green-gets-himself-ejected-for-no-reason-vs-grizzlies">Draymond Green collecting technical fouls</a>.</p><p>Unfortunately, it can’t all be good news. Center Kevon Looney is out and <a href="https://x.com/anthonyVslater/status/1858624257993089061" rel="noopener">will not play</a> in Monday night’s game against the Los Angeles Clippers, per The Athletic’s Anthony Slater.</p><p>“Kevon Looney is out tonight for the Warriors at Clippers. Illness. He wasn’t at shootaround. Steph Curry and Lindy Waters III are still listed as questionable. Both went through shootaround this morning in Los Angeles.”</p><p>Looney provides size and is wide-bodied with a lower center of gravity to match up against opposing big men. In last month’s 112-104 loss to the Clippers, he played 20 minutes and posted 10 points, 11 rebounds, three assists and three steals. In that game, Ivica Zubac, the Clippers’ starting center, scored 23 points and collected 18 rebounds, six assists, two steals and one block in 38 minutes.</p><h2><b>Warriors rolling to start 2024-25 season</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Warriors-Kevon-Looney-boxing-out-Celtics-Luke-Kornet.jpg"><figcaption>© Paul Rutherford-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>In Brett Siegel’s latest <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba-power-rankings-24-25-week-4-rockets-warriors-turn-back-clocks" rel="noopener">NBA Power Rankings</a>, the Warriors held down the No. 2 spot for the second-straight week.</p><p>“There have been a total of six instances in which the Golden State Warriors have started a season 9-3 or better since Steve Kerr became the head coach of the team a decade ago. The Warriors went to the NBA Finals all six times, only losing in 2016 and 2019.</p><p>“This 10-2 start by Golden State is very reminiscent of their start during the 2021-22 season, where everyone overlooked Stephen Curry’s team because their defense was leading the way and setting the tone, unlike their offense of the past.</p><p>Nearly a month into the season, the Warriors’ defense is still very strong, and their 11- or 12-man rotation has yet to really crack or show any deficiencies. For being the league’s smallest team, it’s quite impressive to see this group rank second in total rebounds per game and third in offensive rebound.</p><p>“Effort and intensity are the two best words to describe the Warriors right now.”</p><p>Not only is Steph Curry performing like usual, the Warriors have a burgeoning number of young players coming into their own like Jonathan Kuminga, Moses Moody, Brandin Podziemski and Trayce Jackson-Davis. Buddy Hield has also been lights out coming off the bench, averaging 17.7 points per game.</p><p>Podziemski recently spoke about feeling like home with the Warriors and the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/warriors-news-brandin-podziemski-dishes-paul-george-lauri-markkanen-trade-rumors">franchise’s trust in him</a>, via ESPN’s Brian Windhorst.</p><p>“You feel the respect and love from Mike Dunleavy, [owner] Joe Lacob and our front office team of how much they value me after just seeing one year of what I can do,” Podziemski said. “It’s not like you’re just being traded for another role player; it’s All-Stars you’re talking about. So seeing that was like, ‘Wow, this is cool.’ But also seeing your value across the league of teams wanting you to trade for their All-Star.”</p><p>The Warriors are 2-0 in Group C in the West of the NBA Cup.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Why Warriors’ Kevon Looney is out vs. Clippers

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/warriors-news-golden-state-makes-8-million-kevon-looney-decision');   ga('set', 'title', 'Warriors make $8 million Kevon Looney decision');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Kevon-Looney-1.jpg"></figure><h1>Warriors make $8 million Kevon Looney decision</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-06-24T15:36:05-07:00">June 24th, 3:36pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-06-25T11:47:01-07:00">June 25th, 11:47am</time><address><a href="https://nextmanupblog.medium.com/">Jay Postrado</a>Jay Postrado is a sports writer for ClutchPoints, with expertise in covering the NBA, NFL, MLB, Tennis, and Formula 1. He is a lifelong motorsports and tennis fan. Jay's need for speed may no longer be on the grid or courts but has stayed with him through writing.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>There are a ton of reasons for a team’s success other than the star who is front and center. The Golden State Warriors dynasty knows this more than most others in the past decade. While Stephen Curry has still been their primary off-ball great and Draymond Green continues to be a defensive menace, a guy like <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/warriors-news-kevon-looney-steve-kerr-offer-klay-thompson-reassurance-new-bench-role">Kevon Looney has been fairly essential</a> to the Steve Kerr-led squad. So, a move concerning him needed to be made in order to fill out the squad’s foundations for the NBA Free Agency.</p><h2><b>Big moves to re-tool Stephen Curry’s squad?</b></h2><p>The Warriors have guaranteed Kevon Looney’s<a href="https://www.espn.ph/nba/story/_/id/40423422/sources-warriors-guarantee-kevon-looney-8m-contract" rel="noopener"> contract for the 2024-25 season</a>, per Kendra Andrews of ESPN. It was a deal that amounted to $8 million and they confirmed the move on the day of the deadline. While this usually means that someone will play for the squad that they signed to, this might not be the case for Steve Kerr’s squad. They are looking to get new talent for Stephen Curry. It can happen during the NBA Free Agency or in some other sort of acquisition.</p><p>If the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba-rumors-kevon-looneys-warriors-future-gets-update-exit-buzz">Warriors did not guarantee the deal</a>, Looney would have been waived off the squad. This means that he would not be used as an asset in any of their trades or moves to match the salaries of players that they might want. Why is this important, you ask?</p><p>Well, it has been reported that this move could be due to the Warriors moving Looney through a trade. Trayce Jackson-Davis has been the primary rebounder and rim protector in Kerr’s rotation. This was especially true in the latter part of their campaign. So, an aging big like Looney, who struggled mightily playing drop coverages while also losing his lateral quickness due to age, might not be the best fit for the Warriors. After all, they do want to make the most of Curry’s years during the twilight of his prime.</p><h2><b>Would a team want to trade with the Warriors and involve Kevon Looney?</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Golden-State-Warriors-forward-Kevon-Looney-5-chases-down-.jpg"><figcaption>© Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption></figure><p>Looney is still a very desirable asset for a young team that wants a piece of the Warriors dynasty. He did win three championships with Steve Kerr. That experience of being able to see the mountaintop surely gives someone a lot of veteran championship-winning acumen.</p><p>His numbers are also not that bad when played. He got the Warriors 4.5 points per game on a 59.7% clip from all three levels of scoring. The dominance he displays in grabbing boards after misses from Curry or Klay Thompson is still there. Looney still got his squad 5.7 rebounds on average while just playing 16.1 minutes. If he was played with a heavier usage rate, like in 2022-23, that number spikes up to 9.3 rebounds a game.</p><p>Looney’s screens and short rolls for easy lobs have also been very valuable to the Warriors. He has a very good IQ and is capable of working well in a decently spaced offense. Moreover, he is also still improving despite being 28 years old. In fact, he even ranked eighth in the Most Improved Player of the Year award voting back in 2022-23. All of this adds up to a keeper for Curry’s squad or a fantastic asset that other squads may want to trade for during NBA Free Agency.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Warriors make $8 million Kevon Looney decision

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba-rumors-kevon-looneys-warriors-future-gets-update-exit-buzz');   ga('set', 'title', 'Kevon Looney’s Warriors future gets eye-opening update after exit buzz');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Kevon-Looneys-Warriors-future-gets-eye-opening-update-after-exit-buzz.jpg"></figure><h1>Kevon Looney’s Warriors future gets eye-opening update after exit buzz</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-06-22T14:44:56-07:00">June 22nd, 2:44pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-06-22T14:44:56-07:00">June 22nd, 2:44pm</time><address><a>Nayan Brahmbhatt</a>Nayan Brahmbhatt is a recent graduate from Queen's University's Smith School of Business living in Toronto, Ontario. He is passionate about and has been involved in sports since a young age, and continues to reminisce about the (brief) time Kawhi spent in Toronto. Although he can talk shop about the Raptors and Ravens all day, what's really always on his mind is having finished his undergrad without having won a single fantasy or intramural league.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Kevon Looney, a pivotal member of the Golden State Warriors, has been at the center of recent NBA rumors concerning <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba-rumors-kevon-looney-warriors-future-uncertainty">his future with the Warriors</a>. Drafted in 2015, Looney has been an integral part of the Warriors’ success over nearly a decade. Despite the recent exit buzz, it appears that Looney’s tenure with the Warriors will continue into next week, providing stability amidst a summer of speculation.</p><p>Looney’s contract situation has been a <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5583540/2024/06/22/klay-thompson-free-agency-warriors-negotiations/" rel="noopener">point of focus</a> per the NY Times’ Anthony Slater. Currently, only $3 million of his $8 million salary for the next season is guaranteed. The remaining $5 million is set to guarantee on Monday, presenting a window in which the Warriors could theoretically release him to free up cap space.</p><p>However, according to league sources, this is not the Warriors’ plan. Instead, they are expected to allow the remainder of Looney’s contract to guarantee, thereby keeping him within their current roster strategy.</p><p>Looney’s value to the Warriors extends beyond his on-court performance. Known for his defensive capabilities, rebounding prowess, and versatility, Looney has been a consistent and reliable presence. His leadership and professionalism are highly regarded within the organization.</p><p>Head coach Steve Kerr has frequently relied on Looney’s voice during tense moments, and his ability to anchor the defense has made him a trusted player in crucial situations.</p><p>Despite being edged out of the rotation midseason by rookie Trayce Jackson-Davis, Kevon Looney managed to fight his way back into a significant role by the end of the season. His performance in the Play-In Tournament, where he guarded Sacramento Kings’ star Domantas Sabonis, highlighted his defensive acumen and resilience.</p><p>Looney’s ability to contribute in high-stakes games underscores his importance to the Warriors, even as younger players emerge.</p><p>The potential use of Looney’s salary in an offseason trade remains a possibility. The Warriors are actively exploring various roster-building avenues and could leverage Looney’s contract to facilitate a deal.</p><p>However, as things stand, Kevon Looney is expected to be part of the team moving forward. His retention is a testament to the Warriors’ appreciation of his contributions and their recognition of his value as a veteran leader.</p><h2>Other key Warriors aside from Kevon Looney with uncertain futures</h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Klay-Thompson.jpg"><figcaption>© Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption></figure><p>Switching gears to another <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba-rumors-klay-thompson-warriors-update-hints-free-agency-departure">significant storyline involving the Warriors</a>, the future of Klay Thompson with the franchise is becoming increasingly uncertain. Despite his legendary status and contributions to the team’s four NBA championships, Thompson’s contract negotiations with the Warriors have stalled. According to league sources, there has been no productive discussion between Thompson and the Warriors, with no offers currently on the table.</p><p>The Warriors have outwardly maintained their desire to bring Thompson back under the right terms. However, their priority appears to be exploring larger-scale upgrades to the roster, with Thompson’s situation taking a backseat.</p><p>This approach, while pragmatic from a business standpoint, can be perceived as cold, especially towards a player who has spent his entire career with the franchise.</p><p>Thompson’s potential exit from the Warriors is becoming more probable, with free agency less than ten days away. The team is navigating complex financial considerations, including their desire to avoid the punitive second apron of the luxury tax and potentially drop below the tax threshold entirely.</p><p>These financial constraints significantly impact what the Warriors can offer Thompson, especially if they aim to acquire a high-salary player.</p><p>There is also speculation that Thompson might find a lukewarm market in free agency. The Warriors’ front office, including owner Joe Lacob and general manager Mike Dunleavy Jr., appears to be betting that Thompson could return at a bargain rate after exploring his options. Early indications suggest that many teams are offering shorter-term contracts to veteran free agents, potentially limiting Thompson’s leverage in negotiations.</p><p>Despite some initial interest from the Orlando Magic, there has been no traction between Thompson and the team, suggesting that his best offers might still come from other cap space teams.</p><p>However, even if the Warriors eventually present a competitive offer, there is a growing belief that Thompson may decide to seek a fresh start elsewhere. The built-up friction over the past few seasons and the lack of productive negotiations could push Thompson to explore new opportunities outside of Golden State.</p><p>Before the start of last season, the Warriors and Thompson discussed a possible extension in the range of two years and $48 million, but no agreement was reached. This ongoing uncertainty and the current state of negotiations highlight the complex and often harsh realities of NBA business decisions, even for franchise legends.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Kevon Looney’s Warriors future gets eye-opening update after exit buzz

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/warriors-news-draymond-green-kevon-looney-dan-hurley-too-intense-lakers');   ga('set', 'title', 'Draymond Green, Kevon Looney discuss why Dan Hurley is too intense for Lakers');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Warriors-news-Draymond-Green-Kevon-Looney-get-real-on-why-Dan-Hurley-wouldve-been-too-intense-for-Lakers.jpg"></figure><h1>Draymond Green, Kevon Looney discuss why Dan Hurley is too intense for Lakers</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-06-10T15:59:06-07:00">June 10th, 3:59pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-06-10T15:59:06-07:00">June 10th, 3:59pm</time><address><a>Nathan Yasis</a>Nathan Yasis is a sports writer for ClutchPoints, covering the Los Angeles Lakers, NBA at-large, and gaming.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Aside from the looming uncertainty surrounding the future of LeBron James, the Los Angeles Lakers also face the challenge of filling their coaching vacancy after Dan Hurley’s rejection. NBA Champions Draymond Green and Kevon Looney also shared their thoughts on <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/why-dan-hurley-made-the-right-decision-to-spurn-lakers-and-stay-at-uconn">the Lakers uncertain future</a>.</p><p>In the most recent episode of The Draymond Green Show, Looney <a href="https://www.youtube.com/live/R5GyuYTA_w4?si=jeziMdfD6YOOiNW9" rel="noopener">discussed the trending news</a> about the Lakers and offered his perspective on the matter.</p><h2><b>Draymond Green highlighting Hurley’s intensity</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Dan-Hurley-with-UConn.jpg"><figcaption>Joseph Rondone/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK</figcaption></figure><p>Draymond Green began by highlighting Hurley’s coaching style, drawing comparisons to his own college coach, Tom Izzo.</p><p>“I love Izzo to death, if Izz said some of the things to me today, that he said to me when I was 20, it wouldn’t work, it just wouldn’t work,” Green stressed.</p><p>He continued, “As a player that actually played for a coach very similar to Dan Hurley which is like super intense. He would tell us like, ‘You suck at basketball Draymond, you stink. Your mother can play better than you.”</p><p>Green then posed a critical question to Looney, asking, “Do you think that his intense style could translate to an NBA coach?” Looney promptly disagreed, advising Hurley to “adjust” and strike a balance, cautioning against being overly authoritative in the locker room. “You can’t just be a dictator in the locker room,” said Looney.</p><p>Dan <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/uconn-basketball-news-dan-hurley-breaks-silence-turning-down-lakers">Hurley’s intense coaching style</a> is influenced by his father, Bob Hurley, who was renowned for his passionate and often confrontational approach as a legendary high school coach. Bob Hurley’s practices and games were marked by his frequent yelling and verbal tough love towards players.</p><h2><b>Kevon Looney’s perspective</b></h2><p>The Lakers’ relationship with Darvin Ham was especially strained, particularly with LeBron James as the centerpiece, causing challenges in team dynamics. The decision to part ways with Ham may have relieved immediate tensions but could potentially have long-term repercussions for the Lakers.</p><p>Kevon Looney’s college coach was Steve Alford, who played under Bobby Knight, arguably the most intense coach in college basketball history. In contrast, Looney’s NBA career has been shaped by Steve Kerr, one of the most mild-mannered coaches in the league, often considered a player’s coach.</p><p>This diverse coaching background has provided Looney with a unique perspective on different coaching styles and their effectiveness at various levels of play.</p><p>Looney proposed a solution for handling Hurley’s intense coaching style by suggesting a need for balance. He also brought up Steve Kerr’s coaching approach, highlighting how Kerr values input from players alongside his firm coaching style. This blend allows players to express themselves while maintaining a structured environment.</p><p>“Sometimes you need to be collaborative like our film sessions. You (Draymond Green) might take over one day, or Chris Paul might take over… That will make our locker room special… the joy of knowing how to balance it out,” Looney continued.</p><p>Hurley has enjoyed a successful career with UConn, recently securing back-to-back championships. His intense coaching style suits the college environment, where younger players often thrive under such rigor.</p><p>However, transitioning to the NBA would require Hurley to moderate his approach, particularly when managing established superstars like LeBron James and Anthony Davis. Balancing his intensity while respecting the autonomy and experience of seasoned NBA players will be crucial if he took the NBA coaching gig.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Draymond Green, Kevon Looney discuss why Dan Hurley is too intense for Lakers

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba-rumors-kevon-looney-warriors-future-uncertainty');   ga('set', 'title', 'NBA rumors: Kevon Looney’s Warriors future hit with uncertainty');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Kevon-Looneys-Warriors-future-hit-with-uncertainty.jpg"></figure><h1>NBA rumors: Kevon Looney’s Warriors future hit with uncertainty</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-06-10T15:57:08-07:00">June 10th, 3:57pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-06-10T15:57:08-07:00">June 10th, 3:57pm</time><address><a>Matthew Schmidt</a>Matthew Schmidt has been writing about sports since 2011 and is based in New Jersey. He primarily specializes in NFL these days, but has also extensively covered the NBA and MLB and has written for numerous websites.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Golden State Warriors big man Kevon Looney has been an integral part of the team for years and has helped the Warriors win multiple championships, but his run in Golden State may be coming to an unfortunate end.</p><p>Looney has just one year left on his deal and is slated to earn $8 million during the 2024-25 campaign, but given the Warriors’ miserable salary cap situation, <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/what-comes-first-for-the-warriors-this-offseason/id1147910296?i=1000658099678" rel="noopener">they may end up cutting him</a> to save some money, Tim Kawakami said on the Warriors Plus Minus podcast.</p><p>The 28-year-old discussed the situation with his teammate, Draymond Green, on “The Draymond Green Show” this week, and he seemed to understand that his <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R5GyuYTA_w4" rel="noopener">future in the Bay is murky</a>.</p><p>“The ball isn’t in my court,” Looney said. “I don’t have full control over my destiny, so I kind of have to play the waiting game, control what I can control.”</p><p>Looney was originally selected by Golden State with the 30th overall pick of the 2015 NBA Draft, so if he has to depart the Warriors this summer, it will be extra tough for him.</p><p>“I’ve been here my whole career. I don’t know nothing else,” Looney said. “You always want to finish what you started and be somewhere for your whole career, but I’ve been in this business long enough to know that’s not realistic. I’m preparing myself for whatever. My family’s out here, the Bay’s been great to me. They treat me like family, I grew up here.”</p><h2><b>Kevon Looney’s role has decreased for Warriors</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Kevon-Looney.jpg"><figcaption>John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption></figure><p>Two seasons ago, Looney averaged seven points and 9.3 rebounds over 23.9 minutes per game while shooting 63 percent from the floor. Statistically, it was the best season of Looney’s career, and he even earned some votes for Most Improved Player as a result.</p><p>This past year, however, Looney’s role decreased, as he logged just 4.5 points and 5.7 boards across 16.1 minutes a night. The rise of Jonathan Kuminga has certainly played a factor in Looney’s dip in playing time, and it could ultimately make the center expendable this offseason.</p><p>Looney has never been a star player, but his defensive versatility has made him a very valuable player throughout the Warriors dynasty.</p><p>He was only present for two of the championship runs, as an injury sidelined him in 2017, but he played a pivotal role in the Dubs’ titles in 2018 and 2022.</p><p>Early in his career, Looney has difficulty staying healthy, but over the last three years, he has been <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/warriors-news-kevon-looney-injury-status-vs-mavs">something of an ironman</a>. He played in all 82 games in back-to-back campaigns in 2021-22 and 2022-23, and he only missed eight contests this past season. He played in 289 consecutive contests overall, including playoffs.</p><p>Looney is still a productive player, and it probably wouldn’t take him long to find a home if Golden State does, in fact, release him. However, it seems fairly clear that Looney’s future with the Warriors is up in the air, especially considering how head coach Steve Kerr began to <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/warriors-benching-kevon-looney-for-dario-saric-shines-light-on-big-mans-early-struggles">move away from him</a> midseason.</p><p>We’ll see what ends up becoming of Looney in the coming months, but he could be one of multiple key players from the Dubs’ title teams that will no longer be on the roster next year.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

NBA rumors: Kevon Looney’s Warriors future hit with uncertainty

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/kevon-looney-interview-warriors-playoff-chances-role-change');   ga('set', 'title', 'Kevon Looney still believes in Warriors’ playoff chances while embracing new role');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Kevon-Looney-believes-in-Warriors_-playoff-chances-while-embracing-new-bench-leadership-role.jpg"></figure><h1>Kevon Looney still believes in Warriors’ playoff chances while embracing new role</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-03-26T14:07:02-07:00">March 26th, 2:07pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-03-26T14:18:53-07:00">March 26th, 2:18pm</time><address><a>Brett Siegel</a>Brett Siegel joined ClutchPoints as a credentialed NBA insider and reporter in May 2023 after previously covering the NBA for Fastbreak on FanNation and NBA Analysis Network, as well as working with Louisville Basketball. From playing to coaching to covering the game as a media member, Brett has been involved with the game of basketball from many different perspectives. Breaking the news of various free agent signings, yearly NBA Draft news and other key stories around the league, Brett is always on the phone, getting the latest news and rumors around the NBA. Be sure to follow him on Twitter @BrettSiegelNBA.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Editorials</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>It takes a lot of courage and pride to sacrifice personal goals for the greater good of the team. This is what Kevon Looney has done this season for the Golden State Warriors, an organization that always finds itself in the championship mix come time for the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba-playoff-picture-2024-live-updates-standings-tiebreakers-play-in-tournament">NBA Playoffs</a>. The problem this year is that the Warriors haven’t looked like the championship contenders they are used to being, resulting in numerous lineup changes and roles across the roster constantly changing.</p><p>Looney has found himself a part of that experienced group who have <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/warriors-news-steve-kerr-hints-at-urgent-trayce-jackson-davis-moses-moody-decision-ahead-of-playoffs">seen their roles shift</a>. A three-time champion with Golden State, Looney has worked his way into the same breath as Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green in terms of being the core of this organization. While Looney may not have the numbers to be in the Hall of Fame conversation like Curry, Thompson, and Green, he has most certainly been a major part of Golden State’s dynasty since their second championship in 2017. It would not come as a surprise to see his jersey hanging next to his teammates’ in the Chase Center rafters one day.</p><p>The Warriors are an older team in the NBA now. The mileage this core has racked up from their six NBA Finals appearances in an eight-year span is beginning to take a toll. Nonetheless, Golden State is still of the belief that they can contend in the playoffs as long as they have a shot. For Looney, this championship belief still exists despite the Warriors clinging to the 10-seed in the Western Conference with a 36-32 record.</p><p>“Everyone knows the experience and talent we have on our roster,” Looney outlined in an exclusive interview with ClutchPoints. “We have the best coach in the league. Steph, Dray, Klay, and Chris [Paul] are all Hall of Famers. Me and Wiggs are champions… We just have everything that’s needed to beat any other team. On any given night, we are going to have the best player on the court with the way Steph is playing late in his career.</p><p>“We feel like our ceiling is as high as any other team in the league come playoff time. We just have to get there. It’s not going to be easy, and it is far from a guarantee at this point, but we still know we are just as good as anyone else, and that’s good enough for us to keep our belief high.”</p><h2><b>Kevon Looney supports new role with Warriors</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Kevon-Looney-on-bench.jpg"><figcaption>John Hefti-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption></figure><p>The main problem with the Warriors is they haven’t been able to string together back-to-back victories since the end of February. The constant struggle to find consistency has resulted in Golden State’s inability to prove they are true threats in the West this season. Home-court advantage has always been a factor for this team. With just weeks remaining in the regular season, the Warriors are only 18-19 on their home floor. To make matters worse, they now lead the Houston Rockets by just a half-game ahead of Tuesday night’s battle on the road against the Miami Heat.</p><p>Unlike the top teams in the Western Conference that have maintained the same starting group all season long, head coach Steve Kerr and his staff have been challenged this year due to this team’s inability to find dependable production outside of Curry. Andrew Wiggins has found himself coming off the bench at times as a result of his scoring deficiencies this season, Paul has come off the bench the entire year, and Thompson was <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/warriors-news-klay-thompson-cites-manu-ginobili-as-inspiration-behind-bench-role-acceptance">recently moved into a bench role</a> right before the All-Star break.</p><p>Looney has joined the list of championship-experienced players moving to the bench for the Warriors this season. In fact, this move to the bench snapped Looney’s <a href="https://x.com/anthonyVslater/status/1767213329838113028?s=20">consecutive games played streak</a> of 254 in the regular season, 289 including the playoffs, which was the second-longest active streak in the league behind Brooklyn Nets ironman Mikal Bridges.</p><p>The 28-year-old has always <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/exclusive-kevon-looney-rise-backbone-warriors-dynasty">taken a lot of pride in his availability</a>. Looney is not the type of player to miss games due to an illness or minor bumps and bruises. With this said, Looney has always put the team above his own personal goals.</p><p>Role changes are nothing new for the veteran, and he wants to do whatever it takes to put the Warriors in the best position possible heading into the postseason. If that means not playing in order to give Golden State a better advantage with rookie Trayce Jackson-Davis, Looney is willing to be the mentor the Warriors need him to be.</p><p>“It’s definitely not easy to see your role change after years of seeing championship success. This wasn’t the news I wanted to hear initially, but who am I to put my pride and my ego above the team when we got guys like Chris and Klay coming off the bench?” Looney questioned to himself. “We’ve been sacrificing as one unit because we just want to win. I know how much Steve respects me, so I honored this change. I just want to be the best version of myself for this team. When my time comes again and he needs me to go out there, I am going to be the same player everyone is used to seeing. As long as we win, that’s all that matters.”</p><p>No player in the league likes being told they are going to come off the bench, even if it sets them up for success. The need to win and do so as a focal point of the team’s starting lineup is a desire every NBA player shares. When Looney sat down and spoke with Kerr about this change that was going to be made, he was obviously frustrated at first, just as anyone would be with their line of work. What makes the Warriors such a unique team is they have numerous players who can fit different needs. Whereas Looney provides the team with a sturdy rebounding presence, other options, such as Jackson-Davis, allow the Warriors to play a little faster and get ahead of their opponents.</p><h2><b>Chris Paul, Klay Thompson set the standard</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Chris-Paul-with-Klay-Thompson.jpg"><figcaption>John Hefti-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption></figure><p>Sacrifice is a word that has been echoed throughout the Warriors’ locker room this season. Paul and Thompson are two future Hall of Famers who have sacrificed for the greater good of the team. Now, it is Looney who is embracing this change, staying optimistic, and keeping his mind focused on the goal at hand: winning in the playoffs.</p><p>“At the end of the day, it may sound sappy, but I just want to be the best teammate I can be,” Looney continued. “This isn’t my first time playing this role on the bench. I’ve held a lot of different roles on this team, and that’s true when you look at the three times I was lucky enough to help bring a championship to the Bay Area. In the past, guys sacrificed for me, so now it’s my time to embrace that role.</p><p>“I need to be the one to really help carry on the tradition we have held so long within this organization of being a great teammate.”</p><p>Thompson and Paul are two future Hall of Famers in their own right. Whereas Paul is one of the greatest point guards of all time, Thompson may just be the second-greatest perimeter shooter behind Curry.</p><p>Upon being traded to the Warriors in the offseason, Paul was told he was going to be coming off the bench for Golden State. He has since embraced this role, balancing the Warriors’ second unit when Curry is not on the floor. Thompson has been in his bench role for just about a month. More scoring opportunities and less pressure have resulted in Klay recording more consistent scoring and shooting averages.</p><p>“They have really <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/warriors-news-kevon-looney-steve-kerr-offer-klay-thompson-reassurance-new-bench-role">embraced their roles</a>,” Looney said of Paul and Thompson. “You never know how a guy is going to react to coming off the bench for the first time. We all handle things differently. But those guys have been the examples of what it means to be a true professional about this. They have kind of set the precedent not only for us but around the league of: ‘If these two guys are doing it and sacrificing, then nobody else can complain.’ When you have starters like me, Chris, and Klay on the bench, it’s great for everyone else in our locker room in terms of what we see on the floor from a different perspective.</p><p>“We have the best second unit in the NBA.”</p><h2><b>Warriors facing adversity to end season</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Steve-Kerr-on-bench.jpg"><figcaption>Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption></figure><p>When sacrifice is made, confidence can be lost. In regards to Looney and his new role on this year’s team, the veteran big man has been staying positive. At this point in the season, all that matters for the Warriors is winning. The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba-power-rankings-week-23-rockets-surge-on-verge-play-in-tournament">Rockets are rapidly approaching</a> them in the standings, and it looks very unlikely that Golden State will be able to work their way out of the play-in tournament region of the Western Conference standings.</p><p>This is new territory for the Warriors. Always known for being at the top of the Western Conference standings, the Warriors are now the hunters instead of the hunted. They are a team others in the West are overlooking because of their lackluster 36-34 record. While it is certainly true that this team can change with the snap of fingers, regaining their championship abilities, it seems like more confidence continues to leave the door with every tough loss the Warriors face.</p><p>Although he would prefer to be out on the court in his normal role with the team he has won three championships with, Looney has seized this opportunity to help others on the team, including Jackson-Davis. Energy is what the Warriors have been looking for from their bench, and even though he may not be playing every game, Looney is the leader who is always smiling and encouraging his teammates.</p><p>“It may sound crazy, but my partnership with Invisalign has really helped my confidence. I just always try to live a happy life, and being confident in my smile has helped me bring out the most in my teammates behind the scenes because when I smile, so do they.”</p><p>With 12 games remaining on their schedule, including a matchup with the Heat on Tuesday night, the room for error has disappeared for the Warriors. Now is the time for them to prove their championship pedigree once more, otherwise they run the risk of missing postseason action altogether.</p><p>The good news for the Warriors is that five of their final 12 games are against teams with a below-.500 record for the season. They also have three more games against Eastern Conference teams. This season, Golden State has gone 17-10 against teams from the East, with eight of those wins coming on the road.</p><p>The Warriors have an opportunity to <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/warriors-news-stephen-curry-gets-real-on-golden-states-struggles">regain their confidence</a> heading into the play-in tournament. Looney is continuing to be a voice of reason for his teammates and is ready for the new challenge that awaits his team. Still, the belief that they can be successful in the playoffs remains at the forefront of everyone’s minds within the walls of the Warriors organization.</p><p>“We know it’s go time. There’s no time for excuses, no time for reminiscing on what could have been in some games. Every game matters. Every possession from here on out matters a little bit more. We are trying to win. Our only goal is to win, regardless of the outside noise and what our record says. If we execute and play to our full potential, nobody in the league can beat us in a seven-game series.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Kevon Looney still believes in Warriors’ playoff chances while embracing new role

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/warriors-news-kevon-looney-steve-kerr-offer-klay-thompson-reassurance-new-bench-role');   ga('set', 'title', 'Warriors’ Kevon Looney, Steve Kerr offer Klay Thompson reassurance on new bench role');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Kevon_Looney_Steve_Kerr_offer_Klay_Thompson_reassurance_on_new_bench_role.webp"></figure><h1>Warriors’ Kevon Looney, Steve Kerr offer Klay Thompson reassurance on new bench role</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-02-27T10:05:22-08:00">February 27th, 10:05am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-02-27T10:05:22-08:00">February 27th, 10:05am</time><address><a>Ryan Bologna</a>Ryan Bologna is an author at ClutchPoints. He studied journalism and communication at UConn.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/warriors-news-klay-thompson-future-amid-diminishing-role" rel="noopener">Klay Thompson has been</a> relegated to a bench role with the Golden State Warriors, but his teammate Kevon Looney and Steve Kerr have his back after the recent change. Looney said that having someone like Thompson buy into that type of role <a href="https://theathletic.com/5302166/2024/02/27/klay-thompson-warriors-sixth-man-larry-bird/" rel="noopener">will only help</a> the Warriors, and spoke on how he feels about the veteran.</p><p>“We all care about him. We all want him to succeed. We all want him to be great,” Kevon Looney said, via Sam Amick of The Athletic. “So when he’s not doing well or his energy’s not great, it kind of weighs on everybody else. He knows that. Steve talked to him about that (in early January), and I think he’s been great for the last 20, 30 games. I think that kind of changed our season, changed the way that we’ve been playing.”</p><p>Steve Kerr raved about Klay Thompson’s mindset and said it has improved in recent weeks. He went on to say that the biggest thing <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/is-warriors-chris-paul-playing-vs-wizards-latest-injury-update" rel="noopener">for the Warriors</a> is to convince Thompson that he is still a great and valued player, despite coming off of the bench.</p><p>“The thing that we keep trying to convince him of is he’s still a hell of a player,” Kerr said, via Amick. “But he’s at his best when he’s not pressing and he’s not stressed out (or) worried about trying to be the guy he was six years ago. I think coming off the bench has maybe helped in that regard. I just notice he’s more relaxed. His approach, his leadership in the locker room, it feels different, and I think he’s starting to get more comfortable with the role but also just kind of the bigger picture stuff that has been bothering him.”</p><p>The Warriors sit at 29-27, good for 10th in the Western Conference with a game coming tonight on the road against the Washington Wizards.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Warriors’ Kevon Looney, Steve Kerr offer Klay Thompson reassurance on new bench role

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/warriors-news-kevon-looney-dario-saric-emotional-dejan-milojevic-passing');   ga('set', 'title', 'Warriors: Kevon Looney, Dario Saric get emotional on Dejan Milojevic’s passing amid return to Utah');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Kevon_Looney_Dario_Saric_get_emotional_on_Dejan_Milojevic_s_passing_amid_return_to_Utah.webp"></figure><h1>Warriors: Kevon Looney, Dario Saric get emotional on Dejan Milojevic’s passing amid return to Utah</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-02-12T11:41:22-08:00">February 12th, 11:41am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-02-12T11:42:06-08:00">February 12th, 11:42am</time><address><a>Brett Siegel</a>Brett Siegel joined ClutchPoints as a credentialed NBA insider and reporter in May 2023 after previously covering the NBA for Fastbreak on FanNation and NBA Analysis Network, as well as working with Louisville Basketball. From playing to coaching to covering the game as a media member, Brett has been involved with the game of basketball from many different perspectives. Breaking the news of various free agent signings, yearly NBA Draft news and other key stories around the league, Brett is always on the phone, getting the latest news and rumors around the NBA. Be sure to follow him on Twitter @BrettSiegelNBA.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Mini-Editorials</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Just about one month ago, the Golden State Warriors were on the road preparing to face the Utah Jazz. The night before this game, they held a team dinner at Valter’s Osteria restaurant in Salt Lake City, which had become a staple for the organization when on the road in Utah. Tragedy then struck this franchise, as assistant coach Dejan Milojevic suffered a heart attack during the team meal, only to <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/warriors-news-assistant-dejan-milojevic-tragically-passes-away" rel="noopener">pass away</a> the following morning. A beloved member of the Warriors, Milojevic’s sudden passing has continued to emotionally impact this team, none more than big men Dario Saric and Kevon Looney.</p><p>Every assistant coach always specializes in a particular group of players. For Milojevic, he worked with the Warriors’ frontcourt on a daily basis, developing close-knit relationships with both Saric and Looney. The memories made and time spent with the Serbian coach will never leave the minds of this organization, especially as they embark on a trip back to Salt Lake City for the <a href="https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/39509997/golden-state-warriors-vow-uphold-deki-milojevic-legacy" rel="noopener">first time</a> since they lost one of their own.</p><p>“[He taught me] a different mentality,” Looney said in regards to Milojevic’s death, via ESPN. “Not settling for being average, but being elite, being great at something. I had the best two years of my career playing under his coaching and getting advice from him.”</p><p>Milojevic joined the Warriors and head coach Steve Kerr’s staff ahead of the 2021-22 season. Immediately helping Looney with his overall game, it truly isn’t hard to call the 2021-22 and 2022-23 seasons the best of his career. With <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/warriors-news-kevon-looneys-heartfelt-remembrance-of-coach-teacher-brother-dejan-milojevic" rel="noopener">Milojevic’s guidance</a>, the Warriors big man averaged career highs in points, rebounds, and field goal percentage in the assistant’s first season with the club. Looney topped these career-high averages the following year, en route to his third championship with Golden State.</p><p>For Saric, his relationship with the Warriors’ assistant ran a lot deeper than basketball. Much like how Milojevic had to earn his stripes in Europe and the EuroLeague before heading to the NBA, Saric also had to prove his worth on the court overseas before being drafted in 2016. With the Warriors, the 29-year-old has had a resurgence in his career. Milojevic certainly played a role in Saric finding the success he has this season.</p><p>“I lost a really good friend. I lost a coach who was really there for me, who knows what to tell me at the right moment, who knows my culture, who really knows what’s going on in my mind,” Saric stated. “I miss him a lot, from a friend standpoint, and for basketball, he was a really good mentor.”</p><p>Golden State will play the Jazz on Monday night, a game in which Kerr and assistant coaches Chris DeMarco and Ron Adams will miss due to being overseas for <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/warriors-news-steve-kerr-miss-jazz-game-attend-dejan-milojevic-funeral" rel="noopener">Milojevic’s funeral in Serbia</a>. General manager Mike Dunleavy Jr. and basketball operations consultant Zaza Pachulia also made the trip to Belgrade to be there for Milojevic’s family. Lead assistant Kenny Atkinson will serve as the head coach against the Jazz on Monday.</p><p>The entire trip going back to Salt Lake City carries an eerie feeling for the Warriors. Although going up against the Jazz is an important game for this group, especially given that they find themselves on a four-game win streak and looking to get back in the playoff picture, traveling to Utah without Milojevic means more on an emotional level.</p><p>“It’s going to be tough to walk back to those [hotel] rooms, remembering those feelings — the roller coaster going on in that moment in our minds and hearts,” Saric told ESPN. “It’s going to be tough for all of us, especially those of us who were at the dinner.”</p><p>A win over the Jazz on Monday night would mean more than moving to 26-25 on the season, which would be the first time the Warriors would be above .500 since December 23. It would be symbolic of the joy and passion Milojevic had for everyone he ran into during his basketball journey. A win on Monday would be a win for Deki.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Warriors: Kevon Looney, Dario Saric get emotional on Dejan Milojevic’s passing amid return to Utah

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/warriors-news-kevon-looneys-heartfelt-remembrance-of-coach-teacher-brother-dejan-milojevic');   ga('set', 'title', 'Kevon Looney’s heartfelt remembrance of ‘coach, teacher, brother,’ Dejan Milojevic');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Kevon_Looney_s_heartfelt_remembrance_of__coach_teacher_brother__Dejan_Milojevic.webp"></figure><h1>Kevon Looney’s heartfelt remembrance of ‘coach, teacher, brother,’ Dejan Milojevic</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-01-20T13:19:12-08:00">January 20th, 1:19pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-01-20T13:19:12-08:00">January 20th, 1:19pm</time><address><a>David Yapkowitz</a>David is an NBA Associate Editor at ClutchPoints. He is based in Los Angeles and currently covers basketball at every level from NBA/WNBA to men/women college and boys/girls high school.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Golden State Warriors and the NBA world in general were <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/raptors-news-darko-rajakovic-heartfelt-tribute-to-warriors-assistant-dejan-milojevic-after-tragic-passing" rel="noopener">hit hard</a> this past week with <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/jazz-news-will-hardys-heartfelt-reaction-sudden-passing-warriors-dejan-milojevic" rel="noopener">the passing</a> of Warriors assistant coach Dejan Milojevic. Milojevic suffered a heart attack while out with team staff and players on Tuesday and was pronounced dead the following morning. By all accounts, Milojevic was a positive influence in the lives of many around the NBA. Tributes on social media and in public have been pouring in all week with Warriors center Kevon Looney <a href="https://www.nbcsportsbayarea.com/nba/golden-state-warriors/kevon-looney-honors-coach-dejan-milojevic/1693648/" rel="noopener">the latest</a> to do so.</p><p>On social media, Kevon Looney described the late Warriors assistant coach as a ‘coach, teacher and brother.’ Looney wrote: “I couldn’t have asked for a better coach, teacher and brother the last few years. It was a blessing to meet and learn from you. The knowledge and wisdom you gave me will be passed on and your legacy always remembered, R.I.P Dejan.</p><p>Looney also posted several images of himself with Dejan Milojevic including one following the Warriors 2022 championship celebration in the locker room. Milojevic has been credited as being instrumental to working with the team’s frontcourt players including Looney.</p><p>Milojevic joined the Warriors staff as an assistant coach ahead of the 2021-22 season. Looney put up career numbers in rebounding following Milojevic’s hire. The past three seasons, Looney has averaged 7.9 rebounds while averaging 3.6 his first six years in the NBA.</p><p>The Warriors and the NBA had agreed to postpone the Warriors last two games against the Utah Jazz and the Dallas Mavericks as the team continues to morn the loss of Milojevic.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Kevon Looney’s heartfelt remembrance of ‘coach, teacher, brother,’ Dejan Milojevic

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/warriors-news-kevon-looney-injury-status-vs-mavs');   ga('set', 'title', 'Warriors: Kevon Looney’s injury status puts historic streak in danger vs. Mavs');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Warriors_news_Kevon_Looney_s_injury_status_puts_historic_streak_in_danger_vs._Mavs_copy.webp"></figure><h1>Warriors: Kevon Looney’s injury status puts historic streak in danger vs. Mavs</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2023-12-29T15:39:01-08:00">December 29th, 3:39pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2023-12-29T16:28:07-08:00">December 29th, 4:28pm</time><address><a>Benedetto Vitale</a>Benedetto Vitale is an avid sports writer who is an expert at covering the NFL, college football, and UFC. He graduated from the University of Oregon in 2016 with a film degree but has since dedicated his career to sports writing. Go Titans, go Ducks, and go Kraken!</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Golden State <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/warriors-news-gary-payton-ii-injury-return-vs-mavs" rel="noopener">Warriors are set to take</a> on the Dallas Mavericks on Friday night. However, they could be without veteran center Kevon Looney for the contest. Notably, his historic streak could finally come to an end.</p><p>Looney has played in 223 consecutive games for the Warriors. That all could come to <a href="https://twitter.com/anthonyVslater/status/1740864449949687854?s=20" rel="noopener">a crashing halt</a> on Friday night all thanks to an illness he’s dealing with right now, according to Anthony Slater of The Athletic.</p><p>“Kevon Looney is questionable for tomorrow’s game against the Mavericks. General illness. Looney has a streak of 223 consecutive games played. Gary Payton II has been officially cleared for his return.”</p><p>Playing that many games is impressive, especially considering there are just 82 games in a regular season, then add the playoff games he’s participated in over the years too. If anything, Kevon Looney has proven to be a reliable option, as he’s always available. Who needs time management when you just play in every game possible?</p><p>Hopefully, he does play. I’d love to <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/warriors-news-steph-currys-sudden-struggles-get-frank-assessment-from-steve-kerr" rel="noopener">see the Warriors’</a> center continue this streak for as long as possible. But if he’s not feeling well, then Looney definitely should sit out. There’s no reason to play if he’s much less than 100 percent.</p><p>With that said, luckily Kevon Looney isn’t suffering from an injury or something. A general illness is something he should be able to overcome. Plus, it’s that time of year when the cold and flu run rampant across the country.</p><p>This season, the Warriors’ center is averaging 5.3 points, 7.7 rebounds, and 2.6 assists per game. He’s been a consistent role player for Golden State for several years. It’ll be interesting to see what Steve Kerr does with the lineup if Looney is a no-go.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Warriors: Kevon Looney’s injury status puts historic streak in danger vs. Mavs

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/warriors-news-jordan-poole-kevon-looney-swap-jerseys-in-wholesome-moment');   ga('set', 'title', 'Jordan Poole, Warriors’ Kevon Looney swap jerseys in wholesome moment');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Jordan_Poole_Kevon_Looney_swap_jerseys_in_wholesome_moment.webp"></figure><h1>Jordan Poole, Warriors’ Kevon Looney swap jerseys in wholesome moment</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2023-12-23T05:32:07-08:00">December 23rd, 5:32am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2023-12-23T05:32:07-08:00">December 23rd, 5:32am</time><address><a>Gerard Angelo Samillano</a>Gerard is an Associate Editor for ClutchPoints, with his focus primarily on the NBA, NFL, and Gaming. When he's not writing for CP, Gerard can often be seen playing VALORANT or playing pick-up basketball. He's also working on his BS Mathematics degree.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Jordan Poole’s exit from the Golden State Warriors was… messy, to say the least. Between all of the Draymond Green drama and the supposed friction between Poole and the other vets, many expected bad blood between the two parties. However, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/warriors-news-steph-curry-jordan-poole-show-each-other-love-ahead-first-matchup-since-trade" rel="noopener">there wasn’t any drama</a> seen in Poole’s first game against the Dubs.</p><p>Prior to the Warriors-Wizards game, Poole dapped up all of his former teammates. It was clear that despite the mess around his exit, there was nothing but love between him and the rest of the team. After the game, Jordan Poole and Kevon Looney <a href="https://twitter.com/ClutchPoints/status/1738440205512900703" rel="noopener">exchanged jerseys</a>: a clear sign of respect between the two. (video via ClutchPoints)</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Former teammates Kevon Looney and Jordan Poole swapped jerseys after the Warriors vs. Wizards matchup ❤<a href="https://t.co/a4NZjiw0vl">pic.twitter.com/a4NZjiw0vl</a></p><p>— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) <a href="https://twitter.com/ClutchPoints/status/1738440205512900703?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 23, 2023</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>Poole was traded to the Washington Wizards as part of a series of deals that sent Chris Paul to the Warriors. His final year with Golden State was tumultuous, to say the least. The year started with <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/how-draymond-green-punching-jordan-poole-made-everything-more-complicated" rel="noopener">Green punching Poole</a> during a Warriors practice. From there, the season just went off the rails for Poole. Rumors of him not getting along with Steve Kerr and the Warriors vets permeated the news cycle.</p><p>While Poole got along well with most of the Warriors crew (including Stephen Curry), it’s interesting to note that Green was not present at all. The veteran forward is still serving his indefinite suspension after a string of violent incidents (which may or may not include the Poole punch). While the two were cordial at least while they were teammates, it’s fair to wonder how the two would interact now that they’re not teammates.</p><p>The Warriors have more things to worry about than that, though. Golden State’s win over the Wizards sent them back to .500 range, but it’s still not enough to crack the Play-In picture. Can the Dubs figure out the winning formula they need to make it to the playoffs?</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Jordan Poole, Warriors’ Kevon Looney swap jerseys in wholesome moment

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/warriors-benching-kevon-looney-for-dario-saric-shines-light-on-big-mans-early-struggles');   ga('set', 'title', 'Warriors benching Kevon Looney for Dario Saric shines light on big man’s early struggles');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Warriors-benching-Kevon-Looney-for-Dario-Saric-shines-light-on-big-man_s-early-struggles-1.jpg"></figure><h1>Warriors benching Kevon Looney for Dario Saric shines light on big man’s early struggles</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2023-12-02T14:51:19-08:00">December 2nd, 2:51pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2023-12-02T16:17:27-08:00">December 2nd, 4:17pm</time><address><a>Jack Winter</a>Jack Winter is a veteran NBA writer and editor based on the West Coast. He currently lives in Oakland, covering the last legs of the Golden State Warriors' dynasty.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Editorials</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Steve Kerr’s decision to bench Kevon Looney for the <a href="https://twitter.com/warriors/status/1731050510311104636" rel="noopener">second leg of his team’s home-and-away</a> with the Los Angeles Clippers on Saturday wasn’t exactly hard to see coming. Looney got the so-called “Keith Bogans” in the second half of the Golden State Warriors’ impressive win over LA on Thursday, playing a three-minute stint to open the third quarter before quickly being yanked and watching the rest of the game from the bench.</p><p>Making that development especially damning is that the Dubs needed all the reliable two-way contributions they could get to hold off the Clippers at Chase Center. Andrew Wiggins, Chris Paul and Gary Payton II missed that game just like they’re out in Los Angeles for the rematch, leaving golden opportunities for teammates to pick up their slack and make a good impression on Kerr and the coaching staff with the Warriors’ rotation still in flux.</p><p>Jonathan Kuminga, Brandin Podziemski and Dario Saric—opening in Looney’s place on Saturday—certainly made the most of them, spearheading a dominant bench effort that Kerr called the “story” of what might be <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/warriors-bounce-back-with-impressive-win-over-clippers-on-special-night-for-big-3" rel="noopener">Golden State’s best win of the season</a> so far. Impactful as Saric was offensively Thursday night, though, his far superior utility on that end compared to Looney’s was just further confirmation of what’s been known since he signed with the Dubs in July. Golden State has admitted as much multiple times already this season, too.</p><p>Saturday’s isn’t the first game Looney has come off the bench in 2023-24. Saric opened back-to-back games in place of Looney against the Minnesota Timberwolves and Oklahoma City Thunder in mid-November, the coaching staff’s acknowledgement of just how tough it is to play Looney next to another nonshooter or questionable one up front, especially with Stephen Curry sidelined.</p><p>While Looney’s utter lack of offensive dynamism is hardly new, it’s reached a nadir over the first several weeks of the regular season. But the bigger problem is that rippling ineffectiveness has been accompanied by a decline on the other side of the ball, where Looney’s positioning, rebounding and air-tight switching once compensated plenty for his offensive deficiencies.</p><h2><b>Kevon Looney’s early-season play is underrated problem for Warriors</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Warriors_-Kevon-Looney-prepared-for-road-to-redemption-in-championship-pursuit.jpg"></figure><p>Widespread and sometimes <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/warriors-news-paul-pierce-slaps-klay-thompson-harsh-old-man-reality-amid-slow-start" rel="noopener">irrational hand-wringing</a> over the struggles of Klay Thompson and Wiggins has made it much easier to overlook Looney’s own personal labors early in 2023-24. A quick glance at his per-game numbers don’t suggest much of a dropoff, but digging just below that surface reveals what the film has laid bare since the season tipped off.</p><p>Looney is shooting 57 percent from the floor, down from 63.2 percent a year ago. His turnover rate has exploded to a career-high 16.4, an untenable figure for a center with notably low usage.</p><p>His raw rebounding rate has dipped a bit, a decline on the glass supported by Looney <a href="https://www.nba.com/stats/players/rebounding?TeamID=1610612744&amp;dir=D&amp;sort=REB_CONTEST_PCT&amp;Season=2023-24" rel="noopener">grabbing fewer contested boards</a> than he did last season, per NBA.com/stats. Though opponents take fewer shots at the rim with him on the floor, they convert <a href="https://cleaningtheglass.com/stats/team/10/onoff#tab-opponent_shooting_fg" rel="noopener">3.8 percent more of those attempts</a> than the Warriors’ average, according to Cleaning the Glass.</p><p>More basic lineup data, long an indication of Looney’s positive impact, isn’t kind to him, either. Golden State’s net rating is 7.0 points lower with him manning the middle, second-worst on the team behind Wiggins, per Cleaning the Glass.</p><p>Looney’s never been anywhere near an elite finisher, but took positive strides in that department last season. He’s regressed around the rim to a debilitating extent in 2023-24, not just missing bunnies but erasing advantages his teammates create by refusing to shoot.</p><p>Looney doesn’t even pretend to be interested in finishing on this first-quarter play from Thursday night, catching Moses Moody’s dump-off with his back literally turned to the basket.</p><figure class="op-interactive"></figure><p>On the other hand, you can’t really blame him when so many of Looney’s even semi-contested shots near the restricted area end up in misses or worse.</p><figure class="op-interactive"></figure><p>The Warriors could be far more tolerant of Looney’s downturn offensively if he was the same game-changing defender he’s been for the past two or three seasons. It’s not only his loss of lateral quickness and lift that have contributed to Looney’s lagging influence on defense, though. Sometimes he just hasn’t been attuned to the gameplan.</p><p>Looney acts as Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s primary defender here specifically to switch a small-small ball screen featuring Isaiah Joe, a set that had already fooled the Dubs multiple times in the first quarter. Look at Corey Joseph’s immediate reaction as Joe pops to the arc and Looney sticks with Shai, not to mention his frustration after Oklahoma City’s sharpshooter splashes a triple.</p><figure class="op-interactive"></figure><p>Golden State won the title in 2022 in large part because Looney thrived as an isolation defender against star forwards and even some dynamic ball-handlers after switches. There was a case to be made as recently as early last season that he was one of the best switch defenders in basketball.</p><p>That’s just nowhere near arguable anymore, Looney regularly getting roasted off the bounce by even power-based scorers like Kawhi Leonard—exactly the type of matchup you’d hope he’d be able to handle.</p><figure class="op-interactive"></figure><p>Want a perfect distillation of Looney’s two-way struggles? Look no further than this damning sequence from Thursday’s win.</p><figure class="op-interactive"></figure><p>Looney will forever be a Warriors icon. He won’t get a statue outside Chase Center alongside Curry, Thompson and Draymond Green, but has been just as central to Golden State’s lasting success as every dynasty role player not named Andre Iguodala. The Dubs don’t win a fourth championship without him.</p><p>Barring a stunning reversion to his past norms as a finisher and switch defender, though, it’s time for them to reduce Looney’s minutes against most opponents and search for a long-term upgrade at center.</p><p>Another problem with Looney is that his offensive weaknesses are even more pronounced when not playing next to Curry and Thompson, who constantly draw two to the ball. If he’s moved to the bench full time without his minutes at least tied to Curry’s, the damaging effect Looney’s presence has on the offense will only be compounded further.</p><p>Looney is beloved in the locker room, by the coaching staff and among Dub Nation. His attitude won’t change no matter what happens to his on-court role. Looney’s salary is small enough that Golden State could keep him around if they upgrade via trade and don’t have to include him for financial purposes. His contract is only partially guaranteed for next season, too.</p><p>The Warriors need to make some tough decisions this season to keep their fading hopes of winning another title alive. Relying less on Looney isn’t the only one but should probably be Golden State’s first.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Warriors benching Kevon Looney for Dario Saric shines light on big man’s early struggles

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/warriors-news-steve-kerr-kevon-looney-role');   ga('set', 'title', 'Steve Kerr explains Kevon Looney’s crucial role for Warriors');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/stevon-looney1.jpg"></figure><h1>Steve Kerr explains Kevon Looney’s crucial role for Warriors</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2023-10-06T10:24:54-07:00">October 6th, 10:24am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2023-10-06T10:24:54-07:00">October 6th, 10:24am</time><address><a href="https://joeymistretta.wordpress.com">Joey Mistretta</a>Joey Mistretta is a sports writer/editor who covers multiple sports. Notably, Mistretta covers baseball, basketball, and football, with an emphasis on MLB as a Lead Editor. He is originally from a small town in Southern California. Mistretta graduated college with a degree in broadcast journalism from Biola University.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Golden State Warriors feature plenty of veteran leadership on the roster. Draymond Green has been a <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/warriors-news-draymond-green-drops-major-truth-bomb-on-dubs-2023-24-starting-lineup" rel="noopener">vocal leader</a> for Golden State over the years, while Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson are also well-respected. Kevon Looney could also become a leader of sorts for the Warriors though. Head coach Steve Kerr <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4uj3Nw43Tsk" rel="noopener">explained</a> Looney’s role during a recent press conference, per the Golden State Warriors on YouTube.</p><p>“Loon is Loon. He’s not all of sudden going to start talking just cause Andre is gone,” Kerr said. “Remember, Draymond is still here! What makes Loon so respected in the locker room is his actions day in and day out. I think I have said this, he’s a metronome everyday. There’s a rhythm to his routine and it’s so consistent. He’s put in so much work through the years that the guys love him and respect him. Every once in a while, he’ll say something, but when he does say something, it is very meaningful.”</p><h2><b>Warriors: Kevon Looney’s important role for Golden State</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/stevon-looney2.jpg"></figure><p>Kevon Looney may not be a vocal leader for the Warriors, but Kerr says anytime he speaks players listen. His words are “meaningful” and he’s earned a lot of “respect” according to Kerr.</p><p>Looney has been a reliable big man for the Warriors over the past few seasons. The 27-year-old has played with the Warriors since 2015 and has quietly <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/exclusive-kevon-looney-rise-backbone-warriors-dynasty" rel="noopener">been a very productive player</a>. He doesn’t score much, holding a career points per game average of 5.1. But with Curry and Thompson on the team, Looney doesn’t need to be a scoring threat.</p><p>He controls the boards well though, averaging 9.3 rebounds per game last season. Looney has also played in exactly 82 games over the past two years.</p><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/warriors-news-kevon-looney-prepared-road-to-redemption-championship-pursuit" rel="noopener">Kevon Looney is looking to have</a> another impressive all-around performance during the upcoming 2023-24 campaign.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Steve Kerr explains Kevon Looney’s crucial role for Warriors

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/warriors-news-kevon-looney-prepared-road-to-redemption-championship-pursuit');   ga('set', 'title', 'Exclusive: Warriors’ Kevon Looney prepared for road to redemption in championship pursuit');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Warriors_-Kevon-Looney-prepared-for-road-to-redemption-in-championship-pursuit.jpg"></figure><h1>Exclusive: Warriors’ Kevon Looney prepared for road to redemption in championship pursuit</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2023-10-04T09:40:53-07:00">October 4th, 9:40am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2023-10-04T09:41:37-07:00">October 4th, 9:41am</time><address><a>Brett Siegel</a>Brett Siegel joined ClutchPoints as a credentialed NBA insider and reporter in May 2023 after previously covering the NBA for Fastbreak on FanNation and NBA Analysis Network, as well as working with Louisville Basketball. From playing to coaching to covering the game as a media member, Brett has been involved with the game of basketball from many different perspectives. Breaking the news of various free agent signings, yearly NBA Draft news and other key stories around the league, Brett is always on the phone, getting the latest news and rumors around the NBA. Be sure to follow him on Twitter @BrettSiegelNBA.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Editorials</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>To win one championship in the NBA is a huge accomplishment for any player, regardless of what role they hold on their team. Getting to and winning in the NBA Finals is the name of the game. For the Golden State Warriors, competing for a championship and being one of the final teams standing at the end of the season has become a near-yearly occurrence.</p><p>Since the start of the 2014-15 season, the Warriors have captured four titles and have been to the championship series eight different times, turning themselves into this generation’s dominant dynasty. Stephen Curry, Draymond Green, Klay Thompson and Andre Iguodala have all been the catalysts for success in the Bay Area, yet Kevon Looney’s vast importance must not be overlooked. While he was not there for their first championship run in 2015, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/exclusive-kevon-looney-rise-backbone-warriors-dynasty" rel="noopener">Looney has proven his worth</a> by outexecuting his opponents physically and mentally in the paint.</p><p>Only 84 players in NBA history have won three or more championships. Just 58 of them have done so with the same team. Looney is fortunate enough to call himself one of these players, as he has spent his entire eight-year career with the Warriors, capturing titles in 2017, 2018 and most recently in 2022.</p><h2><b>Kevon Looney overcame a lot of adversity to become an NBA champion</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Warriors_1_player_in_danger_of_losing_starting_job_in_2023-24_NBA_training_camp.jpeg"></figure><p>Looney’s role and legacy being a part of this Warriors dynasty was not always a given, though, especially since there were questions about if Looney was ever going to be able to play in the NBA due to multiple hip surgeries when he first entered the league.</p><p>“It was really tough. There wasn’t any blueprint to follow for my hip injuries. It wasn’t like, ‘Alright, these guys get hip injuries every year, here is what you should expect,'” Kevon Looney told ClutchPoints in an exclusive interview ahead of training camp. “I had double hip surgery and there wasn’t anyone I could really call for advice. There were a lot of guys that had one hip surgery and didn’t make it back to the NBA, so this is where doubt set in for me early on. It was definitely tough and it killed my confidence. Already having a major injury, I had to figure out my body again and figure out how to play in the NBA at the same time.”</p><p>Looney ultimately played in just five regular-season games during his rookie campaign — the 2015-16 season. That year was full of torment for the Warriors’ big man, especially with doubt being an unmovable presence that stood before him every day. Giving up and coming to terms with the idea of not being able to live up to expectations is the path most athletes would go down when facing this much adversity pertaining to injuries.</p><p>That wasn’t an option for Kevon Looney.</p><p>“Despite all the hardships, it was worth it because I really learned how to be a pro during this time and I understood how much I really love this game. Having the time to develop as a young player and man during rehab helped prepare for times like this,” Looney explained to ClutchPoints. “Growing up, I never really got hurt and I never had to sit down to rest. That really killed my inner confidence early in my career, so that’s why I take a lot of pride in playing in every game now. I hate to have that label of ‘soft’ or ‘injury-prone’ or ‘being fragile.’ That’s something I never liked and it’s a big slap in the face to me.</p><p>“To be healthy and available for my team is at the top of my list in terms of importance.”</p><p>While he has faced some other injury obstacles since his rookie season, Kevon Looney has played in all 82 games each of the last two seasons, as well as a total of 35 playoff games in this span. Even when he was sore or feeling under the weather, Looney still showed up and did his job because he not only understands the opportunity that has presented itself to the Warriors, but he understands his importance to the team’s overall success. In fact, Golden State’s big man has not missed any game since March 20, 2021.</p><h2><b>Kevon Looney helping revolutionize center position in NBA</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Warriors-Draymond-Green.jpg"></figure><p>The Warriors have always been viewed as an undersized team. They were amongst the first to implement the idea of playing small by not having a true center on the floor, which has led to the evolution of the center position as a collective. While they are smaller than most bruiser-like centers from back in the day, Green and Looney have redefined what it means to be a big man in the league today.</p><p>They both play out on the perimeter and even though they are not necessarily shooting threats, the Warriors’ frontcourt talents have made a living by doing everything else to impact winning. Whether it is switching screens and defending every position or being the primary facilitator that ends up racking up assists by passing to Curry and Thompson, both Green and Looney have helped shape the center position to the point where we now have high-impact, All-Star big men like Nikola Jokic, Joel Embiid and others doing more than just rebounding and scoring in the paint.</p><p>“I think our Warriors system as a whole kind of changed the way teams evaluate the center position and how they want their big guys to play. There are still those lob threats and big bruisers in the paint, but now, most teams want guys who can be mobile and guard multiple positions. They want great passers, great screens, guys who can play inside and outside of pick-and-roll sets.”</p><p>“We both helped change the center spot because now, if you can’t guard multiple positions, you won’t play,” Looney continued. “I’ll give Draymond a lot more of the credit because he was one of the first smaller guys to be viewed as a valuable option at center. Now, there are so many guys who play that type of style. Domantas Sabonis and Bam Adebayo do everything for their team, and Nikola Jokic is probably the type of center everyone wants for obvious reasons. I think we definitely changed the position and I think it’s going to continue to evolve even after we are gone.”</p><h2><b>Kevon Looney, beast on the boards</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Kevon-Looney-reveals-intentions-on-future-with-Golden-State.jpg"></figure><p>Kevon Looney may not be the scorer Steph or Klay are out on the perimeter and may not be the same two-way presence Draymond is at any spot on the floor. However, what makes Looney such a special part of this Warriors dynasty is his effort and ability to outrebound anyone he goes up against.</p><p>The art of rebounding in the NBA is something that has, and never will, change. When a shot goes up, it has always been the center’s responsibility to box out and be stronger than his opponents on the interior. As much of a physical game rebounding is, it’s also a mental battle.</p><p>Through the years, Looney has really established himself as one of the best rebounding big men in the league due to his unique ability to find himself in the perfect spot for every rebound. Sure, there is always a little bit of luck involved with how the ball spins off the rim or backboard, but Looney’s approach is simple: he just wants to ball more than everyone else.</p><p>“It’s just a mentality going into each and every game. Understanding what is at stake and what the team needs of me. I hold myself to a very high standard and tell myself I can always get every single rebound that presents itself,” Looney pointed out to ClutchPoints. “Sometimes, people say they can do this, but I have reached a level in my game where I understand where I need to position myself in order to get every rebound. The attention that Steph draws also makes it even easier for me to play behind in the dunker spot and control the glass.</p><p>“As the big man at the center position, I feel like my job is to set the tone in terms of physicality and attacking the glass.”</p><p>Star players put a team in a position to win a championship. Role players and secondary talents are the ones who ultimately forge a championship team. We have seen this come true time and time again across the league in the playoffs. Pertaining to Looney specifically, what he did in the 2022 playoffs propelled the Warriors to another championship.</p><p>In Game 6 of their Western Conference Semifinals series against the Memphis Grizzlies, a closeout game, Kevon <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/warriors-news-kevon-looney-strong-message-after-insane-22-rebound-game-6-vs-grizzlies" rel="noopener">Looney recorded 22 total rebounds</a>, 11 of which were on the offensive side of the glass. Against the Dallas Mavericks in the Western Conference Finals, he recorded back-to-back 12-rebound nights in Games 2 and 3 before registering <a href="https://youtu.be/om28W-EmvoY?si=zZYRrQr1yvapmMOi" rel="noopener">18 total boards in Game 5</a> of the series, another closeout game to send the Warriors to the NBA Finals. His efforts on the glass against the Boston Celtics in the Finals put Golden State in a position to win and Looney’s teammates did the rest.</p><p>Every single time No. 5 had a big rebounding night during their recent title run, the Warriors went on to win the game. This is no coincidence, as Looney has rapidly become one of the most underrated, high-impact rebounders in the entire NBA.</p><p>“I live for those big moments. Guys like Steph, Klay and Draymond set the standard so high. When you see them giving their all, it makes you want to play better and have special performances of your own. They impact the game in so many different ways and for me, it’s all about finding a way to make them and the team better. Grabbing rebounds is my way of impacting the game and it helps change the momentum and flow on the court.”</p><h2><b>Warriors out to prove doubters wrong again</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Just_be_ready__Kevon_Looney_sends_warning_to_NBA_as_Warriors_aim_for_another_title.jpg"></figure><p>The 2022-23 season is being viewed as a letdown for the Warriors in many people’s eyes, especially after they conquered all odds to get back to the NBA world in 2022. For Looney, this past year was the best of his career, as he set career-high averages in points (7.0), rebounds (9.3) and minutes (23.9).</p><p>Falling short of defending their championship, the Warriors are now preparing for the new 2023-24 season with a refreshed mindset. Instead of being the hunted at the top of the NBA food chain, they are once again the hunters, a dangerous position for a team that has plenty of championship expertise. Redemption is the one word that comes to mind when describing the upcoming season for Golden State, as everyone within the walls of the organization still believes they have what it takes to win it all.</p><p>Legacies are forged in the postseason and titles are remembered forever. For 41 games, the 2014-15, 2016-17, 2017-18, and 2021-22 championship banners will be visible in Chase Center, serving as a friendly reminder of what their ultimate goal is. Looney and this experienced core have been through all the ups and downs through the years, which is why the Warriors will once again be in the hunt for this upcoming season’s title pursuit.</p><p>“I feel like we’ve been over this multiple times in the previous years. We have a great team and you should never doubt the heart of a champion,” Kevon Looney said. “When you got guys like Steph, Klay, CP3 [Chris Paul], Draymond – they are all Hall of Famers for a reason. They’re winners for a reason and I really believe we still have a lot left in the tank. Losing last year was not ideal, but it has helped us refocus on our main goal of keeping things going. This year is going to be special.</p><p>“To everyone doubting us, just be ready because we know we are still champions.”</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Exclusive: Warriors’ Kevon Looney prepared for road to redemption in championship pursuit

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/warriors-news-kevon-looney-opens-up-on-relationship-with-dubs-coach-steve-kerr');   ga('set', 'title', '‘Truly special’: Warriors’ Kevon Looney opens up on relationship with Steve Kerr');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/special-kevon-looney-opens-up-on-relationship-with-warriors-coach-steve-kerr.jpg"></figure><h1>‘Truly special’: Warriors’ Kevon Looney opens up on relationship with Steve Kerr</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2023-09-29T21:01:35-07:00">September 29th, 9:01pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2023-09-29T21:01:35-07:00">September 29th, 9:01pm</time><address><a>Jack Winter</a>Jack Winter is a veteran NBA writer and editor based on the West Coast. He currently lives in Oakland, covering the last legs of the Golden State Warriors' dynasty.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Kevon Looney has spent his entire eight-year career with the Golden State Warriors. He’s been a rookie G-Leaguer, deep bench player, part-time starter and indispensable cog en route to winning two championships in Golden State, becoming one of the most <a href="https://twitter.com/warriors/status/1705998027016884332" rel="noopener">beloved and respected role players</a> in recent NBA history.</p><p>Looney’s well-traveled path to Warriors lore wouldn’t have been possible without the stalwart support of Steve Kerr, his only coach in the NBA so far—and with someone he shares a <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/exclusive-kevon-looney-rise-backbone-warriors-dynasty" rel="noopener">“truly special” relationship</a>.</p><p>“I have a great relationship with Coach. You know, he believed in me when a lot of the fans and even other training staff and players maybe didn’t. He gave me an opportunity when I probably didn’t deserve it when I was coming off injury and had a lot to prove. He always had a lot of trust in me and put me in spots where I had to either sink or swim,” Looney told ClutchPoints’ Brett Siegel of Kerr. “Luckily, I found a little bit of success early on and was able to earn more trust. I think he believed in me and what I could do when I didn’t even believe in myself, so I truly have a special level of respect for him. Coach Kerr is always there to give us advice and even outside of basketball, he’s someone we can count on. When I was dealing with being injured and going through that dark time, he was always someone I could talk to about life. He was a guy trying to figure his way out in the NBA early in his coaching career too, so we kind of related to one another in that way. Now, people are talking about him as one of the greatest coaches ever. It’s great to have him in my corner and we share a really strong connection with one another.”</p><p>Looney wasn’t lying about the mutual connection he shares with Kerr. An NBA lifer, Kerr is never shy to heap praise on his players, but speaks of Looney in a revelatory tone normally reserved for the likes of all-time, team-first greats like Stephen Curry and San Antonio Spurs legend Tim Duncan, his former teammate.</p><p>“Loon is kind of everybody’s favorite guy,” Kerr said of Looney during the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/warriors-news-steve-kerr-gushes-over-kevon-looney-after-monster-game-2-vs-mavs" rel="noopener">Dubs’ 2022 title run</a>. “You know, he’s so respected in the locker room. He’s an incredible pro. Does his job every day. Comes in, whether we play him for ten minutes or 32, his demeanor is the same. His work ethic is the same. He’s an incredibly smart player and he sort of gives us a lot of stability that we need.”</p><p>Golden State is vying for a fifth title in 10 years this season, and <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/warriors-news-kevon-looney-sends-warning-to-nba-as-dubs-aim-for-another-title" rel="noopener">Looney is fully confident</a> his team has what it takes to be the last one standing in June. If the Warriors reach those heights once again, rest assured the bond between Looney and Kerr will have played a big part in the team-wide chemistry and connectedness it takes to get there.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

2024-25 SEASON STATS
PTS	REB	AST	BLK	STL
5.2	7.3	1.8	0.2	0.8

2024-25 SEASON STATS
PTS	REB	AST	BLK	STL
5.2	7.3	1.8	0.2	0.8

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