3 Warriors who deserve praise after tough 6-game series with Memphis

May 13, 2022; San Francisco, California, USA; Golden State Warriors guard Klay Thompson (11) interacts with the crowd during a timeout against the Memphis Grizzlies in the fourth quarter during game six of the second round for the 2022 NBA playoffs at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports
May 13, 2022; San Francisco, California, USA; Golden State Warriors guard Klay Thompson (11) interacts with the crowd during a timeout against the Memphis Grizzlies in the fourth quarter during game six of the second round for the 2022 NBA playoffs at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports /
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Mandatory Credit: Petre Thomas-USA TODAY Sports
Mandatory Credit: Petre Thomas-USA TODAY Sports /

Warriors player who deserves praise: Kevon Looney

When it comes to being a team-first player, Kevon Looney embodies that phrase. He went from starting to almost not being in the rotation to arguably being the most important piece of the Warriors’ game plan.

It’s been fantastic seeing Looney re-engaged in the team and play a vital role. Sure, Looney isn’t a score-first big man, but one thing that needed to be highlighted and corrected was the Warriors -14 difference on the offensive glass in Game 5.

Looney, who totaled 22 boards in Game 6, played a massive role and might have saved the Dubs. Looney stands just 6-foot-9 but has broad shoulders and great instincts in the paint. He helped neutralize the impact of Grizzlies center Steven Adams.

He was a huge reason the Warriors brought down 70 rebounds as a team. Golden State is going to need that same presence from their regular season starting center as they’ll be having those same size concerns in the Western Conference Finals.

In the series, Looney averaged 5.3 points and 8.2 rebounds per game in just 18.5 minutes. It was an impressive stretch for the former first-round pick.