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Golden State Warriors: Reviewing the bigs in 2018/19 and their free agency projections

By Evan Quarnstrom

DETROIT, MI - DECEMBER 1: Damian Jones #15 of the Golden State Warriors shoots the ball against the Detroit Pistons on December 1, 2018 at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, Michigan. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Joe Murphy/NBAE via Getty Images)
DETROIT, MI - DECEMBER 1: Damian Jones #15 of the Golden State Warriors shoots the ball against the Detroit Pistons on December 1, 2018 at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, Michigan. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Joe Murphy/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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Photo by Kyle Terada-Pool/Getty Images
Photo by Kyle Terada-Pool/Getty Images /

Kevon Looney

Kevon Looney was the far-and-away top success story of the Warriors’ bigs last year.

In 2017/18 he started to break the rotation after two years of battling a hip injury and developing in the Warriors’ system. In the 2018 playoffs he showed his worth as a fundamentally sound center who could switch the pick and roll and stay in front of quick guards, especially Houston’s James Harden.

Last year Looney’s minutes ballooned from 13 to 18 per game as he averaged career highs in rebounds (5.2), field goal percentage (62.5%), and points (6.3). He played in an impressive 80 out of the 82 games as well.

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    • Looney wasn’t necessarily filling up the stat sheet, but anyone who watched the Warriors closely knew his worth. He played exceptionally fundamental defense, rarely reaching or biting at pump fakes, controlled the offensive and defensive glass, and always seemed to be in the right place at the right time to get the Warriors an extra possession.

    Considering that a year or two ago we were questioning whether this guy was cut out for this league, Looney was found gold.

    Last summer the free agent market proved to be dry for Looney and the Warriors retained him at a bargain price of $1.5 million. At the time it was the right move, but oh how the Warriors would have loved to lock him up for another year or two at that price tag.

    Looney now enters 2019 as a free agent again and this time around there may be a little more interest in his services. The Warriors should make retaining Looney a priority, but they will see what other teams offer him.

    Looney, still a young talent, has plenty of room to improve. Some post moves and a jump shot would do wonders to his game, both of which he showed signs of improvement in last season.

    The below video shows just how far Looney’s game has come and the potential player that he can become.

    Prediction:

    Looney re-signs with the Warriors on a multiple year deal and goes on to become the GOAT. Ok, maybe not the GOAT, but Looney will become a key piece for this team moving forward. His best is yet to come.

    I think as the season wears on, Looney will move into the starting role at center.

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