When the Golden State Warriors won their fourth NBA championship in eight years last month, it looked like they would have a great chance at a fifth and perhaps even a sixth within the next few years.
But the team has lost some of its vital depth over the last several days.
Damion Lee, Gary Payton II, Otto Porter Jr., Juan Toscano-Anderson and Nemanja Bjelica all opted to sign with other teams, and all of a sudden, Golden State’s bench is looking somewhat weak.
It signed Donte DiVincenzo, which will help replenish its depth, especially at the shooting guard spot, but perhaps its most important signing so far has to do with its frontcourt.
In giving big man Kevon Looney a three-year, $25.5 million contract, the Warriors have successfully kept one of their most important role players at their weakest position – center.
Free agent center Kevon Looney has agreed to a three-year, $25.5M deal to return to Golden State, sources tell ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) July 1, 2022
Looney Helped Hold Things Down All Season
Throughout their eight-year run, the one weakness the Warriors have had is the center position, as they have been at the forefront of the NBA’s small-ball revolution.
Looney is a bit undersized there at 6-foot-9 and about 220 pounds, but much like teammate Draymond Green, he plays bigger than his physique may suggest.
Golden State originally took him with the 30th pick in the 2015 NBA Draft, and his first few seasons were quiet, even as he got more and more playing time on a squad that won back-to-back world titles in 2017 and 2018.
In 2019, as things started to fall apart for the team, Looney started to emerge, playing in 80 games and starting 24 while averaging 6.3 points and 5.2 rebounds in 18.5 minutes per game.
With the Warriors being forced to rediscover themselves over the next two years, Looney was the lone rotation player holdover from the 2018 championship team not named Green, Stephen Curry or Klay Thompson.
This past season was his best yet, as he posted 7.3 rebounds in 21.1 minutes a game.
But he saved his best for the playoffs, as he had several huge games when the Warriors really needed them.
Looney had 22 rebounds in the close-out game of the Western Conference semifinals against the Memphis Grizzlies, as well as 18 rebounds in the fifth and final game of the Western Conference Finals.
With Golden State trailing the NBA Finals 2-1 to the Boston Celtics and looking a bit overmatched physically, Looney grabbed 11 boards in Game 4 to help it to a 10-point victory that turned things around.
All season, his presence was even more important given that James Wiseman was unable to play due to injury.
Kevon Looney has been a big part of the Warriors dynasty.
— 6p/6r in the playoffs
— 64 FG% in the playoffs
— Led 2022 playoffs in OREB
— 18.2 MPG in the Finals3 Rings. pic.twitter.com/VvAmZE1XTT
— StatMuse (@statmuse) July 1, 2022
Continuity Is Important
An advantage the Warriors have over every other NBA team is the fact that Looney, Curry, Thompson and Green have been playing together for years and thus have a high level of chemistry with each other.
Losing Looney would’ve not only meant having to bring in a replacement but also getting him used to his new teammates, system and culture.
While many other teams will be spending training camp and the early part of the season getting used to each other, the Warriors can leap out of the greatest and get ahead of the posse, much as they did in the fall of 2021.
NEXT: The Warriors Should Look Into Signing Markieff Morris
