Tough rebounder looking to bounce back

Last in a series of stories in which The Chronicle has reviewed the seasons of each Warriors player after the team’s championship run.

Two hip surgeries limited Kevon Looney’s rookie season in 2015-16 to five games. Last summer, while many NBA players relaxed, he trained twice a day five times a week. Looney added 20 pounds of muscle to his 6-foot-9 frame. In games of 2-on-2, he flashed the traits that could make him a reliable “stretch 4.”

Expectations heightened for him when he posted several solid performances in the preseason. A dogged rebounder, Looney has the potential to excel in the pick-and-roll.

But after a strong start to the regular season, he was unproductive in limited minutes and his playing time dwindled. Looney totaled only 43 minutes in April and May. Much of the playoffs, he was inactive with a strained left hip.

Even when he was healthy, Looney had a tough time cracking a frontcourt rotation that included Zaza Pachulia, Draymond Green, Kevin Durant, Andre Iguodala, David West, JaVale McGee and Matt Barnes. It didn’t help that, when Golden State’s core players sat in a March 11 loss at San Antonio, Looney had two points on 1-for-8 shooting in 17 minutes.

Now, as Looney prepares for his third NBA season, he still must prove that he belongs in the league. It’ll be an important summer for a player who was a top-10 recruit nationally coming out of high school. Offseason outlook: In October, the Warriors picked up the third-year option on Looney of $1.2 million to prevent him from becoming an unrestricted free agent this summer.

Looney still is hardly safe and could be waived or traded. It’s critical that he get in better shape and impress in the Las Vegas Summer League.