The Warriors’ veteran center has been taking 500 three-pointers a day this summer. Could Loon become a stretch five?
Going into his 10th season with the Golden State Warriors, Kevon Looney is ready to show off a new look. And he’s not just talking about his stylish braids.
Loon’s been shooting upwards of 500 threes a day this offseason pic.twitter.com/YYezZWyAOw
— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) September 30, 2024
Looney has always been a hard worker, but this summer he says he was taking “probably 400, 500” three-pointers every day while working with player development coach Jerred Cook. After a season where Looney lost his starting spot to Trayce Jackson-Davis, and later his rotation spot entirely, he’s concluded that he needs to add more shooting to fit in with this team.
Last season, Looney took a single three-pointer, the same as he did in 2022-23 and 2021-22. His biggest three-point season was 2020-21, when he went 4-for-17 from distance. More than 90% of Looney’s attempts last season came from within 10 feet of the basket, though he’s been gradually taking more and more shots from 3-10 feet of the hoop. Those represented 42% of his shots last season, and Looney made them at a 54% clip.
But back in college, Looney could really shoot it. During his one season at UCLA, Looney shot 41.5% from three-point range, on 1.5 attempts each game. Hip problems robbed Looney of some of the smoothness of his shot, but he does have some history of making jumpers.
“I’m not going to be out there like Klay or somebody,” Looney told reporters. “I just want, when the time comes to space the floor, to be able to make the open shot.”
He says he hasn’t just put up hundreds of threes. Lonney also studied game film, noting the spots where Draymond Green and Dario Saric got open looks last season. He also says that while he always had a “good foundation” for his three-point shot, it was a matter of finding the confidence to actually shoot triples in a game.
That’s not the only transformation for Looney this fall. Bucking the trend of NBA players who claim to have added “15 pounds of muscle” in the offseason, Looney has reportedly lost 10-15 pounds in order to add quickness, planning to play this season between 245-250 pounds.
New Warrior De’Anthony Melton liked what he saw from Loon.
“He looks good,” Melton declared. “He looks like high school mix-tape, he looking like that type slim.”
We’ll see how it looks when Looney first unleashes his pick-and-pop game against real NBA teams. It’s too early to anoint him a Splash Brother, but even if he can get to the level of a Splash Cousin or even a Splash Close Family Friend, Looney could unlock a new level off offense for the Dubs.