Kevon Looney got to be up close and personal with three Larry O'Brien trophies during his NBA career. That is three more than the rest of his Los Angeles Lakers teammates combined. After winning all those championships with the Golden State Warriors, Looney shared an encouraging message about this new group in Los Angeles.
"I won a few championships, so I know what it takes to get there. I know what it looks like. I feel like we have the talent to do that, and we have the superstar to do that."
That internal uplift represents a stark contrast to what the Lakers have been hearing from many external voices. Outlets like ESPN have given Los Angeles minimal support when it comes to projecting them as contenders for the upcoming 2026-27 season.
Hardly anyone picked the Lakers to win the West in the looming campaign. No one chose them to win the NBA Finals. In fact, ESPN's insiders actually selected Los Angeles as the most likely team to be disappointing and take a step back in the coming season.
Looney clearly is not buying any of that negativity, and neither should the other members of the Lakers.
Kevon Looney is building internal faith about the Lakers being a contender
There are a lot of variables with this new Lakers group. Factoring that in makes it understandable as to why many have been doubtful of what Los Angeles can accomplish in 2026-27.
However, writing them off altogether would be foolish. That idea spits in the face of everything that is working in the Lakers' favor. That all starts at the top with Luka Doncic, himself.
Looney alluded to Doncic in his quote above, and for good reason. The Lakers are spoiled by getting to employ one of the five best players on the planet for the upcoming 2026-27 season. That part should not be understated.
That is especially true when considering all the work done for the Lakers to tailor the roster to Doncic for next season. Luka has his co-star in Austin Reaves. Los Angeles added the shooters needed to space the floor for their superstar. They put defenders around him, too.
In short, they rebuilt a similar blueprint to what Doncic was contending with when he was still a member of the Dallas Mavericks. Some would even argue the Lakers did it better.
Has it been a perfect makeover? No. Primarily, the Lakers are still trying to figure out who their fifth starter will be. Another backup center would not hurt, either.
Even with that in mind, the Lakers are far from hopeless in the coming season. Looney is doing his best to turn his teammates into believers. If that mission is accomplished, all the skeptics should be in for a healthy surprise.
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