Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
With the 30th pick in the 2015 draft, the Golden State Warriors selected power forward Kevon Looney from UCLA. Although Looney wasn’t the Warriors’ preferred pick, he is a good pick-up pick for the Warriors, and he’ll fit right in the rotation.
Standing 6-foot-9 with a 7-foot-3 wingspan, Looney has the potential to be a force defensively as his long limbs should allow him to get his hands in passing lanes. The Warriors had the best defense in the league last year, partially because they had versatile wing defenders who could easily switch from a ball handler to a post player without being mismatched. Looney showed some versatility during college by being able to play defense around the perimeter, similar to Draymond Green.
Offensively, Looney’s strength is rebounding. He doesn’t have much of a post game (only 19 years old), and his footwork needs a lot of improvement. His jump shot improved throughout college, and if he is able to continue to expand his range, he may find himself in the rotation sooner rather than later due to Golden State’s offense needing shooters who can knock down open shots.
Looney will have to work his way into minutes, as he’ll likely be going back and forth between the NBA and the D-league all year. Golden State is known for its player development, and Looney is a young player with lots of raw skill, so he will fit right in with the defending champs.
