Kevon Looney is — as things stand — the Los Angeles Lakers’ backup center. That role will involve catching lobs from Luka Doncic, grabbing rebounds and playing defense. But, especially from a veteran like Looney, it will also be a leadership role on and off the floor.
There is no doubt, though, that this is Doncic’s team. He all but confirmed that when he covered the expenses for the entire team to fly to Ljubljana, Slovenia for a multi-day team minicamp. Looney took the trip as an example for why he’s confident in Doncic’s ability as a leader and what he saw from his leader on that trip.
“I mean, I’ve been in the league for a while and that’s my first time doing something like that,” Looney said on ESPN L.A. “Going to somebody’s home country, bringing all of us out there and spending that much time together, I never did that before. So that just shows his character, that he really wants to win. He wants people to know his background, why he is the way he is and I think he did a good job of that. He’s a great player and a great leader, and he likes to show what he can do on the court. And we got to see his personal life off the court, so we’re going to run through a wall for him.”
Looney was, of course, on the Golden State Warriors for three of their NBA title teams, led by Stephen Curry for all three and alongside Kevin Durant for two of them. Curry, specifically, is seen as one of the NBA’s best leaders both on and off the floor, and both Curry and Durant are widely respected around the league.
So for Looney to say that Doncic is exhibiting some leadership that he has not seen before speaks volumes to how well the Lakers star is handling his newfound responsibilities. He said that the team is ready to run through a wall for their Slovenian superstar, and that’s exactly what fans would hope for before the team has even played a single game together.
Lance Stephenson names Luka Doncic among five best point guards ever
While it’s not as controversial as it might sound on the surface, former Laker Lance Stephenson certainly had to do some defending when he listed Doncic among his five greatest point guards in league history.
He named Doncic next to Magic Johnson, Curry, Jason Kidd and Isiah Thomas, all of whom have legitimate claims to be in that discussion.
If you love our reporting, choose LakersNation.com as a preferred source on Google.
