You'll be hard pressed to find a better leader in sports than Golden State Warriors superstar Stephen Curry, meaning former teammate Kevon Looney may be better placed than anyone to judge on a teammate's leadership qualities.
Looney has spoken glowingly of Luka Doncic after initial impressions, with the former Warrior having signed a one-year, minimum contract with the Los Angeles Lakers in free agency this year.
It helps that Doncic's Slovenian nationality seemingly gives him assistance in building team chemistry during the offseason, something Curry doesn't have the advantage of and which leaves teammates with never before had experiences that they clearly cherish.
Kevon Looney reveals Luka Doncic move Stephen Curry never made
Speaking to ESPN Radio's 'Mason and Ireland', Looney revealed a recent trip to Slovenia allowed the new-look Lakers to spend significant time together in a way he'd never experienced before during his career.
“Man, I’ve been in the league for a while, and that (trip to Sloevnia) was my first time doing something like that. Going to somebody’s country, and bringing us out there, and spending that much time together. I never did that before,” Looney said.
Clearly the leadership styles of Curry and Doncic have some differences, not that this can be used against the former who's led the Warriors to four championships since 2015 of which Looney was part of three.
It also says something not just about the two stars, but the contrasting rosters of the respective teams. The Lakers have just completely revamped their team this offseason, having moved on from LeBron James while bringing in a host of new players headlined by Walker Kessler and including Looney.
Golden State, on the other hand, have long prioritized roster continuity, with Curry, Looney, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green each playing at least a decade with the franchise. That means these kind of team trips that the Lakers just undertook in Slovenia aren't as necessary for a veteran Warrior team.
Warriors will bank on chemistry advantage on opening night
It will be fascinating to see how much chemistry the new-look Lakers will be able to build by opening night when they host the Warriors at Crypto.com Arena next month. Golden State will undoubtedly hope for an advantage in that aspect, particularly given they'll be needing to make up for a talent disadvantage without the services of injured pair Jimmy Butler and Moses Moody.
The Lakers entire frontcourt could be made up of fresh faces, with Quentin Grimes, Sandro Mamukelashvili and Kessler potentially joining Doncic and Reaves in the starting lineup. The Warriors, meanwhile, could have a full starting lineup featuring players who finished on the roster late season. 11th overall pick Yaxel Lendeborg is the only potential addition to the starting five if he can win a role over Gui Santos.
It might be the best time for Golden State to face their pacific rival, especially when they've also got an important NBA Cup game the following week on October 30.
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