“Iron Man” from the Warriors, Kevon Looney it is both literally and figuratively. The pivot rarely misses a match, and we remember that he had played the 2019 Finals with several injuries.
He has also become, over the years, a particularly important pillar of the team. The one you can rely on when things are going badly, especially when Draymond Green is lacking, like last night.
In a decisive meeting for the Warriors, since the team was down 2-0 against the Kings, Kevon Looney was exemplary in the fight, but also the creation. Not by his points obviously, but also by his dominance in the rebound, but also his reading of the game, since he finished with 4 points, 20 rebounds and 9 assists!
The statisticians counted him 9 offensive rebounds transformed into 18 points by the Warriors, and all his assists were followed by a successful shot, which is rather crazy!
“On the rebound, it’s always confusion” recalls Kevon Looney about his dominance on the rebound and his balls coming out. “We have the best shooters in the NBA on our team. I know if I get the rebound everyone will be wide and if I can find them they’ll usually get a 3-point shot wide open. When you come to the NBA, you are usually taught to come back from an offensive rebound and try to score your own points. But I remember Ron Adams (assistant) kept yelling at me to get the ball out because we have Steph Curry and Klay on our team. And it works for me, it gives them a lot of opportunities to have open shots. »
For Steve Kerr, the game is easier when Looney is on the field
Last night, Kevon Looney turned into a bouncing vacuum cleaner. “It was my way of being in the zone, like Steph and Klay can be at 3-pointers” he explains. The funny thing is that before the meeting, GM Bob Myers compared him to Dennis Rodman for his science of the offensive rebound.
“That’s a really big compliment, especially from Bob. He’s seen a lot of basketball, so that’s important.” thanks Kevon Looney. “You know, sometimes on the rebound, you can end up where you need to be. I know where the ball is going and every time I touch it it seems to be going my way, deflected balls are going my way, and stuff like that. Tonight I wanted to focus on rebounds because I felt I hadn’t done a good job of rebounding in the last two games. Deji (Dejan Milosevic, Steve Kerr’s assistant coach) and I talked about it before the game: being more aggressive, varying positions, not just pushing and shoving, but using my talent, and I think I did a good job work in this area. »
Another major compliment, that of Steve Kerr: “It’s Loon. He’s like that… We’ve seen that for years in the playoffs. He is always focused on the game plan. He never makes mistakes. He takes incredible rebounds. He makes the right choice. For others, the game is much easier when Loon is on the field. »
Read >>> How the Warriors turned the tide in Game 3
| Kevon Looney | Percentage | Bounces | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Crew | GM | Minimum | Shots | 3 points | LF | Off | Def | Early | pd | party | Int | bp | CT | Points |
| 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 = Shots made / Shots attempted; 3pts = 3-points / 3-points attempted; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; Off = offensive rebound; Def= defensive rebound; Tot = Total bounces; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal fouls; Int = Intercepts; Bp = Lost bullets; Ct: Counters; Points = Points.
