With DeMarcus Cousins out all series, Andrew Bogut not the player he once was and Kevin Durant getting hurt late in Game 5, the Golden State Warriors needed young big man Kevon Looney to step up in a big way against the Houston Rockets. Looney did just that, and Warriors veteran Shaun Livingston acknowledged how the 23-year-old “grew up” in the second-round series, according to The Athletic’s Anthony Slater.
Looney played pretty well in the Warriors’ first-round series against the Los Angeles Clippers, and he was instrumental against Houston. The big man played huge fourth-quarter minutes in Game 5 after Durant’s injury and stuffed the stat sheet, recording two points, two rebounds, one assist, one block and one steal in the series-changing frame.
Bogut then started the Game 6 victory over the Rockets, but he played just 12 minutes and didn’t make much of an impact. Looney, meanwhile, had 14 points and five rebounds in 20 minutes off the bench. The Warriors were outscored by five points in Looney’s 20 minutes, but that wasn’t fully indicative of his contributions. His work on the offensive glass in the first half was important as the Warriors racked up 10 second-chance points, and he wound up with four offensive rebounds for the game.
Golden State was lucky to get Looney back on a $1.6 million deal after previously declining his $2.2 million team option for this season. He’s earning himself some money this summer with his performance.
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