Looney ready to help in absence of West
HOUSTON — While watching Warriors games from the bench this season, Kevon Looney has made a point to study
David West — the way he passes out of the elbow, spaces the floor, sets picks.
Those nuances are vital parts of being a reliable role player, which — at this point in his career, at least — is Looney’s primary objective. Now, with West sidelined at least two weeks with a fractured left thumb, Looney has the chance to put what he has learned into action.
“I try to do what I do,” said Looney, who is averaging 2.7 points and 2.5 rebounds in 8.3 minutes per game. “I can’t be (West), but just take some of what he does, take some of his tricks. He’s a really good passer, something I want to be. He’s one of the best on our team at that.”
Because two hip surgeries limited his rookie season to five games, Looney is viewed by
Steve Kerr’s staff as a first-year player. Early in the season, when given meaningful minutes, Looney showed flashes of promise. His 11-point, fiverebound outing Nov. 4 against the Lakers reinforced that he has enough ability to crack the rotation.
But a crowded frontcourt has made it difficult for him to warrant consistent playing time. Before recording 18 points and 20 rebounds in a one-game Development League stint last week, Looney had totaled eight minutes in Golden State’s previous six games.
A workhorse at attacking the glass, he has spent recent weeks burnishing his jump shot. The hope is that he limits mistakes and doesn’t infringe on the flow of the Warriors’ second unit.
“His best attribute is his rebounding,” Kerr said. “We know he’s going to do that. We like his basketball IQ, his intelligence. He’ll get a chance to get out there, switch defensively, guard some different positions and blend in.”
Of course, Looney is hardly the only player who will absorb West’s 11.5 minutes per game. JaVale McGee, Anderson Varejao and Damian Jones are also in line for expanded roles.
NBA review: The NBA is expected to review Golden State center Zaza Pachulia’s hard foul on Oklahoma City guard
Russell Westbrook, as well as Westbrook’s postgame comments, per an ESPN report.
With less than five seconds left in the second quarter of the Warriors’ 121-100 win Wednesday over the Thunder, Pachulia leveled Westbrook. As Westbrook writhed on the court, grabbing his face, Pachulia stood over him and stared. After a lengthy review by officials, he was assessed a Flagrant 1 foul.
“He hit me kind of hard,” Westbrook later told reporters, “but it’s all right. I’m gonna get his ass back. Straight up.”