Golden State Warriors Reveal Plans For Starting Center Role

Golden State Warriors, James Wiseman, Kevon Looney, NBA News
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The Golden State Warriors defeated the Boston Celtics in the 2022 NBA Finals, winning their fourth title in eight years. Their experience being in that position before really helped, as they fell behind in the series but didn’t waver in their game plan. They had been there before and knew what it would take to come out on top.

It was quite an achievement winning the title after missing the playoff the last two seasons, but the Warriors have put together an impressive culture and program. Everyone who joins the franchise buys in and this offseason, they had to replace a few pieces.

Keeping everyone is not a realistic goal even with the salary cap rising once again. Tough decisions will have to be made and this offseason was the start of that process for Bob Myers as multiple key pieces to their rotation were entering free agency.

Kevon Looney, Gary Payton II, Otto Porter Jr. and Nemanja Bjelica were all entering free agency. Looney is the only one of those four players to re-sign, as Payton joined the Portland Trail Blazers, Porter landed with the Toronto Raptors and Bjelica went back overseas.

Head coach Steve Kerr recently spoke about the organization and Looney was a topic of discussion. He loves what he brings to the team, including him in the “foundational six” along with Andrew Wiggins and Jordan Poole joining the original Big 3 of Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green.

Golden State was unsure if Looney would return to the team, as there were plenty of center-needy teams around the league. But, he returned after agreeing to a three-year, $25.5 million deal with the team. According to Kerr, he will also have a starting spot waiting for him.

“Loon will come back as the starter,” Kerr said. “He has earned that and then some. We’re all thrilled that he’s back. There was a real fear that we’d lose him. To get him back is massive for our team. It sets up well for Loon to continue what he did for us last year. In doing so, he’s really a good mentor for James.”

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James would be referring to James Wiseman, the No. 2 overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft. He was inserted into the starting five on opening night, but Looney eventually overtook him. That is a spot that Looney is now cemented as his, as Wiseman missed the entire 2021-22 season recovering from a meniscus injury.

That could develop into one of the better center duos in the NBA. Kevon Looney possesses all of the championship experience to bestow upon James Wiseman, who has more upside as the younger, more explosive player.

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