The Warriors lost some key guys to free agency after their championship run, but while they were able to find players to fill similar roles as Otto Porter Jr. and Gary Payton II, there’s one guy from that roster who was a flight risk, and whose value may have been irreplaceable. Thankfully, the Warriors were able to resign him, even if it came at the cost of others.

At 6’9, Kevon Looney was one of the shortest starting centers in the NBA. And despite Golden State seeing James Wiseman making his return during his first healthy summer since he was drafted, Loon is slated to reprise that role once again.

The Anthony Slater exclusive (a read I definitely recommend) goes into detail about a number of topics, but it’s Steve Kerr’s consideration of Looney’s value that really stands out. The Warriors are the frontrunners of positionless basketball, a concept which effectively rendered the traditional center’s feature role moot unless they have a unique skillset, like Nikola Jokic or Joel Embiid. The center has to be someone who can crash the boards, set good screens, roll to the hoop, and remain both comfortable and confident when tehy step out onto the perimeter.

Kevon Looney checks all those boxes.

Loon’s ceiling at one point was, according to popular hoop culture media group Ball Is Life, “the next Kevin Durant”. While he’s not quite putting up KD numbers, the skills which he’s fine-tuned to make himself an important part of Golden State’s smallball success are reminiscent of the idea, as hot of a take as it is: He’s got good footwork for his size, takes care of the ball when he’s got it in his hands, and he’s comfortable outside the paint defensively, something which even “perennial” Defensive Player of the Year Rudy Gobert can’t say he can do. Looney’s switchability is impressive, as he’s taken stints guarding anyone from Jokic to even LeBron James. He’s not the type of defender that a team can switch on and say it’s an automatic bucket, and that’s just a glimpse of his value.

Kevon Looney really epitomizes the name “Warrior” when it comes to his presence in the post. He’s not an excellent above-the-rim finisher, with a lot of his buckets coming as finesse finishes around the restricted area. His offensive value is highest as a screener - a common trope for a Warriors center, as uncommon of a player as he is - and his offensive rebounding, which he shouldn’t be so good at for someone who’s anywhere from 3 to 5 inches shorter than the guy he’s trying to box out. Looney is impressively strong, but his effort and hustle is unmatched, which is why he’s 6’9 and still scooping up rebounds like nobody’s business. A low career number of double-doubles seemed like an impossibility with the way he was securing the ball off of misses during the playoffs last year.

Despite James Wiseman having the ultimately higher ceiling and likely being the center of the future if he can stay healthy, Kevon Looney has earned his starting role on multiple occasions, and for now, it remains his to lose. After injury-riddled seasons prior, he was the iron man, playing in every single game the Warriors had last season. He’s gone from injury-prone late 1st-rounder to reliable, sturdy, and exactly the kind of player the Warriors need to succeed. His impressive perimeter defense and his offensive rebounding are what set him apart from the rest, and from both of those places comes the desire to win. He just wants it more than anyone else on the court, and he’s not going to be outworked; a true fulfillment of the ethos of the Warriors culture.

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