There's going to be a significant battle for minutes once Golden State Warriors training camp gets underway in Hawaii next month. Even if you want to exclude Lindy Waters III and Gui Santos from the conversation, that still leaves head coach Steve Kerr with 12 capable NBA rotation players in which to organize minutes from.
Two players slated to be outside a fully healthy rotation are veterans Kevon Looney and Gary Payton II, though both have historically been Kerr favorites, have championship experience, and are young enough to prove they have significant futures at the Warriors well beyond their expiring contracts.
Kevon Looney's latest social media post poses an intriguing question on how the veteran big man could impact the Golden State Warriors
With Draymond Green possibly starting at center and Trayce Jackson-Davis expected to take another leap in year two, it's difficult to see where playing time comes for Looney who played more than 11 minutes just six times in the final 29 games of last season.
However, it appears the 28-year-old is working hard this offseason to try and earn back his rotation spot. In a new instagram post on Monday, Looney looked noticeably trimmer in a number of workout photos.
Strength and physicality -- particularly in regard to defense, screening and rebounding -- has been arguably the biggest aspect to Looney's game over recent years. So, how much may that change if he's lost weight this offseason?
Is the nine-year NBA veteran trying to revolutionize his game? He certainly hinted at that possibility during his end-of-season press conference in April, suggesting he'd focus on trying to be more of a threat offensively.
"I know I can shoot it. It's something I haven't been asked to do. It's something that they never needed me to do," Looney said. "They might not ask me to do that next year, but I feel like to get on the court to prolong my career, then the next step is for me to be able to evolve my game and be more offensive-minded."
It's easy to forget that Looney was more of a perimeter player in high school before a hip injury in college that followed him into his first few years as a pro. Could we see the return of the 41.5% three-point shooting Looney from his lone college season at UCLA? It could be one of the storylines of training camp and preseason if we do.