Golden State Warriors star Chris Paul has never once come off the bench in his illustrious 18-year NBA career, but there is now doubt over whether this trend will continue, amid uncertainty over whether the Dubs will choose to remain with the starting-line up that has proven to be very successful in seasons past. According to NBA writer Mark Medina, though, should head coach Steve Kerr opt to start the 38-year-old, then it likely puts big-man Kevon Looney at the most risk of losing his starting role.
NBA news – Golden State Warriors
In a summer which has been filled with blockbuster trades, it seems so long ago now that the Warriors made a move of their own to acquire their long-time former divisional rival, Chris Paul via a trade with the Washington Wizards for Jordan Poole, Patrick Baldwin Jr., Ryan Rollins, two second-round picks and cash considerations, per The Athletic’s Shams Charania.
Since then, we have heard little out of the Warriors camp during the off-season, aside from the extension of Draymond Green to a four-year, $100 million deal, and the free-agency pick-ups of stretch-four, Dario Saric, and veterans Cory Joseph and 37-year-old Rudy Gay, per Spotrac.
However, one thing that has since sparked up a debate is how Warriors head coach, Steve Kerr, plans to utilize his new addition to the backcourt, with 12x All-Star, Paul, having started every single one of his 1,214 games in the NBA since his arrival as a rookie in 2005.
In a recent press conference, Kerr admitted that he has yet to figure out what line-up he will use to start the season as he currently has ‘six starters’ on the team, via NBC Sports. Kerr further went on to suggest that he will wait until training camp where he can experiment with different combinations before he makes his the final decision, but admits that although someone will inevitably miss out on getting the starting nod, everybody needs to buy in to the team’s philosophy if they are to make it work.
This has posed rumors over who could find themselves on the bench should CP3 walk straight into the starting five, with reports arguing that both Kevon Looney and Klay Thompson are deemed to be the candidates most at risk, per The Athletic’s Tim Kawakami, though the former is thought to be more likely.
Is Kevon Looney’s starting line-up spot at risk?
Medina believes that although the starting line-up is subject to change, if CP3 were to start then he cannot see any other member of last season’s line-up other than Kevon Looney who would lose their place. However, should that materialise, it wouldn’t necessarily lessen Looney’s role on the team, more that it remains fluid, and that he would continue to be the ‘ultimate utility man’ who is very good off the glass.
Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, the journalist said…
“Well, I think that this is going to be subject to change throughout the season. I think that when you’re looking at this idea that if Chris Paul starts, who does he replace?, it’s hard for me to imagine that that means that Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, Andrew Wiggins or Draymond Green is coming off the bench. So by default, that means Kevon Looney would come off the bench. So I think technically that this suggests that Kevon Looney won’t start as many games as maybe he was starting to become accustomed to, but this is really in line with what his role has been in past seasons, where it’s always been fluid. I don’t think that his role is at risk. His role is really well valued, and being that ultimate utility man with being a great rebounder defender, being able to play in different line-ups etc.”
How did Kevon Looney perform last season?
The 6’9” power forward was inserted into the starting line-up at the beginning of the 2021-22 season, in which the Warriors claimed their fifth championship in franchise history, their fourth in the Steve Kerr-led era, and has never looked back.
Starting 70 games last season, per Statmuse, the 27-year-old posted career highs across the stat sheet, averaging 7.0 points and 2.5 assists on 63.0 percent shooting, but it was his rebounding which skyrocketed the most. In his eight seasons, Looney’s rebounding averages have steadily improved year-upon-year, but last season saw him establish himself as one of the premier rebounders in the league, averaging 9.3 per game in only 23.9 minutes. According to ESPN, he ranked 17th overall in the league’s leading rebounders last season, but of those who played 25 minutes or less, he ranked second behind only Jonas Valanciunas of the New Orleans Pelicans, who averaged 10.2 rebounds in 24.9 minutes of action.
If Chris Paul is to assume a starting line-up role, then Kevon Looney – whose contract is worth $22.5m in its entirety – may ultimately be the unlucky one to miss out, however, with an aging Draymond Green, the Warriors will likely be looking to find the best way to keep him healthy throughout the season. In turn, this could open up the door for Looney to take on an increased role, albeit coming off of the bench, and with the Point God’s innate ability to thread the needle and find open teammates, Looney’s overall offensive production could yet increase, with another career-year for the UCLA alum certainly not yet off the table.