The return of former Golden State Warriors center Kevon Looney has done nothing to stop the woes at the New Orleans Pelicans, with the franchise falling to a sixth-straight loss to start the season after a blowout 137-101 defeat to the reigning champion Oklahoma City Thunder.
It was a painful debut for Looney who missed the first five games through injury, having sustained a knee sprain during the Pelicans' first preseason game against Melbourne United at the start of the month.
Kevon Looney made little impact for the Pelicans in his debut
The former Golden State big man played 16 minutes off the bench in his debut, recording three points, three rebounds, two assists and a block during the 31-point loss. He also committed two turnovers, shot just 1-of-3 from the floor, and had three fouls that included a hard one on a driving Ajay Mitchell that was assessed as a flagrant one after review.
New Orleans were also a -15 in Looney's minutes, albeit that doesn't mean a whole lot when they were brutally outplayed from the first-quarter onwards. The bigger frustration for Pelicans fans stemmed from the fact Looney's return meant that first-round pick Derik Queen was out of the rotation, with the 13th overall pick only playing seven minutes in garbage time.
The Pelicans now infamously gave up their 2026 first-round pick completely unprotected to acquire Queen at this year's draft, with that already foolish trade with the Atlanta Hawks looking worse by the game.
I truly don’t understand what the point
— Justin (@ProPelsTalk) November 2, 2025
is to give this much up for Derik Queen and not play him.
The trade was already out of pocket, but to not even play him is downright absurd.
You’re also down 20, again. pic.twitter.com/VYHIzBqZHx
Someone tell me why Derik Queen is just vibing on the bench even though Pelicans gave up a 2026 unprotected first round pick for him like I'm 5 years old
— Ahmed/The Ears/IG: BigBizTheGod 🇸🇴 (@big_business_) November 2, 2025
As for Looney, it might take some time for him to integrate into the Pelicans system after a decade with the Warriors where he won three championships and was such an integral on and off-court part of their success.
It's a less than ideal situation for Looney to enter into when he's battled a rare recent injury and with the team starting so poorly, something the 29-year-old recently alluded to in an interview with Mark Medina of Essentially Sports.
It’s been difficult because I haven’t been hurt in a long time. I’m just trying to figure that out and get back on the court. Dealing with an injury while dealing with new players and new faces is always difficult in a new city," Looney said.
Looney will face the Warriors for the first time later this month at Smoothie King Center on November 16, before making his return to Chase Center on November 29 in what's sure to be an emotional homecoming.