The Los Angeles Lakers signed Kevon Looney to be their backup center, but he will quickly become the third-string option. The 6’9 big man helped the Warriors win three championships, but he fell out of the Pelicans rotation last season. Luka Doncic makes his big men better, but even the Lakers’ superstar can’t transform Looney into a quality 15 to 20-minute-per-game option.
Loon averaged 2.8 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 1.6 assists in 14.7 minutes per game. He shot just 41.7 percent from the field and played in just 21 games. Injuries were a factor, but the 30-year-old big man was just out of the rotation for parts of the season. The Pelicans weren’t trying to compete and had a glut of options. Still, Looney wasn’t helping.
The 6’9 big man struggles in the two areas where Luka makes centers better. He rates as a problematic roll man and has issues finishing at the rim. The Pelicans' offensive rating was 107.3 with Looney on the floor, which would have been the worst in the NBA over a full season. This is just not the answer.
Luka Doncic can’t make Kevon Looney a quality backup center
Fans have seen Doncic lift up his big man for years. He made Jaxson Hayes look like a quality option and turned Daniel Gafford into a starter on a team that reached the NBA Finals. Luka loves feeding his big men and getting them easy shots. Sadly, Looney is falling off big time in this area.
The % of Kevon Looney's shots at the rim that were dunk attempts over the last 5 seasons:
— Cranjis McBasketball (@Tim_NBA) July 8, 2026
2021-22: 27.6%
2022-23: 19.3% 📉
2023-24: 13.7% 📉
2024-25: 11.0% 📉
2025-26: 5.3% 📉
This is what declining athleticism looks like
Loon had one dunk last season and scored 0.44 points per possession as a roll man. 98.9 percent of NBA players were better than him out of the pick and roll. Luka loves to run that action and look for his big man. The Lakers getting one of the worst players in the NBA in this play type makes no sense.
The Pelicans were 4.9 points per 100 possessions better with Looney on the bench last season. Golden State gave up on a player that helped them win three titles in 2025 because they saw his decline. It got worse last season, but that didn’t stop the Lakers from signing him for the minimum.
Loon will be an outstanding locker-room presence and leader. This signing has value. He can play spot minutes as a third-string option in the right matchups. Asking him to be on the floor with any athletic big man looking to create havoc in the paint will be a problem.
The Lakers traded for Walker Kessler to be their starter. They paid handsomely for what Luka wanted at the five. Kessler should play 30-plus minutes every night, but Looney is not the answer for the remaining 18. The purple and gold must sign a power forward, so Sandro Mamukelashvili can be the backup at both positions.
Kevon Looney is declining and can’t be the Los Angeles Lakers backup center. Luka Doncic will make him look better, but Loon struggles in the areas number 77 accentuates most. This was not the ideal fit, but the options were slim. The Lakers will have to find a way to make it work. Sadly, it likely ends in disappointment.
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