“In fact, we have six starters, and we can only play five every night.” This is what Steve Kerr said on Monday about the role of Chris Paul. The Warriors coach will test several formulas, with or without Chris Paul as starter, and many wonder who will be sacrificed if CP3 starts the matches.
Are the four All-Stars (Curry, Thompson, Wiggins and Green) untouchable? Is it that Kevin Looney Is it precisely the easiest player to get out of the five to avoid ego problems?
“Early in his career, when he started to make an impact, Loon was the type of player you could use in any situation”, remembers Steve Kerr. “We could start him and play six minutes at the start of each half and then leave him on the bench the rest of the time. We could start him on the bench even if he was the best center in the group. We can also make combinations. The beauty of Loon is that he is a winner and incredibly accommodating. He is a player who has a sense of the collective. »
“He’s one of our best players. He needs to be on the ground. And he’s going to play a lot.”
Except that for Steve Kerr, Kevon Looney has a new status in the team, and we should not imagine that he will be sacrificed because he is “accommodating”.
“I’m not going to penalize him for that. He has become one of the best offensive rebounders in the league. He is very present in the locker room and on the field. He is one of our most influential players. So there’s no way I’m going to say, ‘Okay, we’re going to put Loon on the bench because he’s very accommodating.’ This has nothing to do with the current situation. He’s one of our best players. He needs to be on the ground. And he’s going to play a lot.”
| Kevin Looney | Percentage | Rebounds | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | MJ | Min | Shots | 3pts | L.F. | Off | Def | Early | Pd | Party | Int | Bp | Ct | Pts |
| 2015-16 | GOS | 5 | 4 | 57.1 | 50.0 | 0.0 | 0.8 | 1.2 | 2.0 | 0.0 | 0.4 | 0.0 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 1.8 |
| 2016-17 | GOS | 53 | 8 | 52.3 | 22.2 | 61.8 | 0.8 | 1.5 | 2.3 | 0.6 | 1.2 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 2.6 |
| 2017-18 | GOS | 66 | 14 | 58.0 | 20.0 | 54.5 | 1.3 | 2.0 | 3.3 | 0.6 | 1.6 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0.9 | 4.1 |
| 2018-19 | GOS | 80 | 19 | 62.5 | 10.0 | 61.9 | 2.4 | 2.8 | 5.2 | 1.5 | 2.6 | 0.6 | 0.6 | 0.7 | 6.3 |
| 2019-20 | GOS | 20 | 13 | 36.7 | 7.1 | 75.0 | 1.4 | 1.9 | 3.3 | 1.0 | 1.7 | 0.6 | 0.6 | 0.3 | 3.4 |
| 2020-21 | GOS | 61 | 19 | 54.8 | 23.5 | 64.6 | 1.9 | 3.4 | 5.3 | 2.0 | 2.2 | 0.3 | 0.6 | 0.4 | 4.1 |
| 2021-22 | GOS | 82 | 21 | 57.1 | 0.0 | 60.0 | 2.5 | 4.7 | 7.3 | 2.0 | 2.6 | 0.6 | 0.8 | 0.6 | 6.0 |
| 2022-23 | GOS | 82 | 24 | 63.0 | 0.0 | 60.6 | 3.3 | 5.9 | 9.3 | 2.5 | 2.7 | 0.6 | 0.6 | 0.6 | 7.1 |
| Total | 449 | 18 | 58.2 | 16.9 | 60.6 | 2.1 | 3.5 | 5.6 | 1.6 | 2.2 | 0.5 | 0.6 | 0.6 | 5.1 | |
How to read the stats? MJ = matches played; Min = Minutes; Shots = Successful shots / Attempted shots; 3pts = 3-points / 3-points attempted; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; Off = offensive rebound; Def=defensive rebound; Tot = Total rebounds; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal fouls; Int = Intercepts; Bp = Lost balls; Ct: Against; Pts = Points.
