Getty Golden State Warriors big man Kevon Looney addresses the media after Game 2 of the 2022 NBA Finals.
Golden State Warriors veteran Kevon Looney had what may have been the best night of his career in a 118-106 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers on December 16.
It could have been even better had head coach Steve Kerr allowed him to play in the final minute.
Looney had already set a career high with nine assists and was one shy of a triple-double when the Warriors coach subbed him out with a minute remaining in the fourth quarter. While Kerr may have been trying to protect the health of the shorthanded Warriors, the move didn’t sit well with some fans.
Looney’s Big Night
The Warriors faced a tall task against the Sixers on Friday, missing three key players due to injury. Steph Curry was out after hurting his left shoulder in a loss to the Indiana Pacers, an injury expected to keep him out for a few weeks. Draymond Green and Andrew Wiggins were also nursing injuries, leaving Looney to play a bigger role.
He responded with a big game, notching 14 points and 11 rebounds to go with his career-best nine assists. He also added two blocks and two steals.
Loon powers through Embiid 💪
Looney had a chance to go for a triple-double, but Kerr took him out with close to a minute remaining and the lead well in hand for the Sixers. The move peeved some fans, who took to Twitter to complain about the decision.
“Kerr literally sees Looney going for his first triple double & said nahhhhh,” one person tweeted.
Looney Earns Praise
While he may have fallen just short of a career milestone, Looney still earned plenty of praise for his performance in Friday’s loss. The Athletic’s Steve Berman noted that Looney has moved well beyond the criticism that his solid play is just a product of Golden State’s system.
“This game went as expected, but Kevon Looney is such a professional,” he tweeted after the loss for the Warriors. “12/11/9, 2 steals, 2 blocks. Without him the Warriors lose this game by 25+.
“Kind of amazing that the rest of the league looks at this guy and says nah, he’s a product of the system,” Berman added. “He plays every night and does well regardless of who he’s surrounded by. Defends the league’s best players. Baffling.”
Looney also earned some big praise this week from teammate Jordan Poole, who recalled watching the 6-foot-9 Looney play point guard while they were both in high school in Milwaukee around the same time.
Two-way player Kevon Looney
“This is the Kevon that’s in the back of my mind,” Poole said, via NBC Sports Bay Area. “When I’m coming off a ball screen and there’s three seconds left, and I don’t have a shot, I want to see Loon get into his bag. Because I know it’s there.
“… He’s really a guard. It might sound crazy, but he grew up playing guard. To see him hit his spins and his pump fakes underneath the basket, that’s why he’s such a good finisher. A lot of people don’t know that … I have such an appreciation for him; that’s definitely big bro.”