BOSTON — As Kevon Looney hoisted jumpers after shootaround Thursday, Steve Kerr watched from a chair on the sideline at TD Garden: “This has been a tough season for Loon.”
It’s also been a tough season for the Warriors (10-38). Partly due to injuries, they’ve sunk to the worst record in the NBA and have been unable to fully evaluate the center position. Still, they could add another center to the mix in free agency.
“Even if we have both (Looney and Marquese Chriss) next year, we’d probably be looking to sign another center this summer,” Kerr said Thursday afternoon.
Looney, the team’s projected starting center entering the season, has missed the last 17 games with an abdominal strain. This, after missing 20-straight games with a hamstring strain complicated by a neuropathic condition.
In all, Looney — who signed a three-year, $15 million contract last summer — has played in only 10 games this season.
After trading 7-footer Willie Cauley-Stein to the Mavericks, Golden State has started Chriss, a springy lob threat with natural passing instincts, at center for the past two games. With 17 days remaining on his two-way contract, the Warriors will need to re-sign him to keep him next season.
Omari Spellman, a 40.6% 3-point shooter, has also seen minutes as a floor-spacing 5. Alen Smailagic, the No. 39 pick in June’s NBA Draft, has played most of this season in the G League but factors in to Golden State’s long-term plans.
With Looney expected to return at some point during the current East Coast swing, Kerr is looking forward to seeing how his defensive versatility and rebounding complements the group.
“They’re all different from one another,” Kerr said. “I like that kind of variety at that spot for sure.”
Projecting forward, what the Warriors are missing is a big man who can body with the more traditional centers in the NBA.
In recent matchups against the Warriors, Memphis’ Jonas Valanciunas had 31 points and 19 rebounds, Portland’s Hassan Whiteside logged 17 points and 21 rebounds, Utah’s Rudy Gobert had 22 points and 15 rebounds and Philadelphia’s Joel Embiid went for 24 points and 10 rebounds.
In the past, the Warriors could deploy the big bodies of Andrew Bogut and Zaza Pachulia. They could look to find a similar player to add to their center rotation this summer.
But the first step is seeing how Looney fits. In the little he’s played this season, he’s been out of condition and struggled to make the impact that helped him emerge as a building block.
Said Kerr, “It would be huge for him, and for us, if he can get back and re-establish his position on the team.”
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January 31, 2020 at 02:01AM
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Warriors ‘probably looking to sign another center this summer’ - The Mercury News
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