Explain One Play: Kevon Looney dunks and stops

Some of us were early in the Looney Bin when he was drafted, but then due to injury, Looney didn’t play for so long that we forgot that there was a Bin. And when he came back last year, bigger than ever, his bulk seemed to make him slow, sluggish and, weirdly enough, weaker at finishing.

So when Steve Kerr provocatively deactivated Jordan Bell, and then Draymond Green got ejected for smashing his face and neck into the fingers of Bradley Beal, that meant the Kevon Looney era was here for real. He came through in crunch time of this emotional game. Here’s a video breakdown of his three dunks, good pass, and numerous stops when the Wizards tried to attack him on defense.

Final Thoughts

There was a lot in that game to write about. I considered addressing: the troubled GSW 3pt D, Omri Casspi’s great plays, and JaVale McGee’s vertical spacing. But I couldn’t ignore that this was Looney’s best game and that his option deadline is coming up on Halloween.

What the Warriors really need in a big man is sound defense on and off ball, sturdy rebounding, finish easy layups, move the ball in the motion offense, and handle the ball in 4 v 3 advantages. Looney’s length makes him a decent defender in the pick and roll, he hasn’t shown much one way or the other in rebounding (he has been dislodged from good position on plays), he showed surprising explosion to the hoop last night and he can run a basic 4 v 3.

The W’s haven’t trusted Looney with the offensive reads they’ve given Jordan Bell yet, but Looney is also younger and longer. There are good reasons to keep them both around, and if Looney can continue to play like this, the W’s may pick up his option and see how he can keep growing. And remember, in college he flashed three-pointer range...