While the Lakers’ biggest frontcourt addition this offseason is Walker Kessler, they also added Kevon Looney.
At 29 years old, Looney is a veteran on these new-look Lakers. He has championship experience and can provide stability at a position that has seen a ton of turnover in LA over the years.
As an unrestricted free agent, Looney had options this summer. During a recent interview on ESPN LA’s “Mason & Ireland” show, Looney discussed how he ended up with the Lakers.
“This summer’s been great. Being
a free agent this year, I didn’t know what was going to happen. Lots of moving parts to this offseason with a lot of teams. Once the Lakers made a few moves and they had a need for a center, this was my top destination and I was able to make it happen and I’m super excited.”
It’s great to hear that a player who signed with the Lakers always wanted to. As a backup, he’s likely to have a smaller role, and the first part of shining in that scenario is embracing it. So far, it seems Looney won’t be having a problem with that.
He also won’t have to face Luka Dončić anymore, which he mentioned as another positive of joining the purple and gold.
“Playing against him sucks, especially being a big man. You’re in a lot of pick and rolls. You get iso’d on. He picks on people and you got to guard him 1-on-1 and he’s probably the toughest guy to guard in the league. I got peak against him on the Lakers and on the playoffs when he was in Dallas. I’m excited to be on his team and be able to learn from him and be able to play pick and roll with him. He’s probably the best pick-and-roll player in the league. So, getting to learn how he wants me to set screens and different things like that, I’m excited about it. He’s one of the best guys in the league so it makes my life a lot easier playing with him so I’m super excited.”
Luka is a pick-and-roll king. Last year, he had 648 possessions in this action, more than any other player in the NBA. The second closest was LaMelo Ball with 593.
So, being a good pick-and-roll partner with Luka will be essential if Looney is going to have a successful stint in LA. Luckily, Looney has plenty of experience having an elite player initiating this play from his Golden State days with Steph Curry.
Looney doesn’t have to be at his prime to be a productive player for LA. All he has to do is remain healthy and do the dirty work that can help open up the offense for everyone else.
So far, he seems excited to do so. Hopefully, that’ll translate to some quality minutes on the floor in the fall.
You can follow Edwin on Twitter at @ECreates88 or on Bluesky at @ecreates88.bsky.social.
