Along with missing Steph Curry and Klay Thompson for a significant chunk of the 2019-20 season, the Golden State Warriors were also without a key piece in the frontcourt. Veteran big Kevon Looney missed 40 games due to a bevy of different injuries.
The former first-round pick appeared on the injury report with a neuropathic condition, hamstring, abdomen and hip problems. In May, Looney underwent successful surgery to repair a core muscle injury. Following a positive recovery, the 24-year-old is back on the court for Warriors before the start of the 2020-21 season.
After three days of practice at Golden State’s preseason training camp at Chase Center in San Francisco, Looney said he’s feeling the best he’s felt “in a long time.” In a post-practice press conference with the media, Looney said he’s feeling confident in where his body is at right now.
I feel great. It’s the best I’ve felt in a long time. I’m able to compete and go hard and do extra work before and after, but no problems. I’m still doing the little things I’ve got to take care of my body right — a lot of stretching. I’m still doing the strength and rehab stuff to stay on top of things. I feel confident in my body and where I’m at right now. I’m really excited for this season.
With the Warriors still waiting for James Wiseman and Draymond Green to join training camp, Looney could be in line to start for Golden State’s first preseason game on Saturday night. Following Wednesday’s practice, Steve Kerr said Looney would “probably” start against the Denver Nuggets.
Probably. I haven’t decided yet, but I would lean like that. A big part of things with Loon is to see how he’s holding up. So far, he’s doing great. We really want to give him a good number of minutes to see if his body holds up and to get his rhythm back. He’s had a good camp so far.
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Preseason minutes against a strong frontcourt that features Nikola Jokic, Bol Bol, Zeke Nnaji and Paul Millsap could be a good opportunity for Warriors to gauge where Looney is at before the start of the season. The Warriors tipoff against the Nuggets at 5:30 P.M. PST on Saturday night at Chase Center.
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