Today's Warriors vs Pacers battle, Curry played the main role for most of the time, but the game was finally completed by a supporting role, he is Kevin Looney. 13.4 seconds before the finale, Curry threw a historic three-pointer that bounced off the frame. Miles Turner, who had previously heard the scandal with the Warriors, had already won the rebound, but did not take it steadily, Looney immediately played a second offense after getting the ball, and the Warriors surpassed by 2 points. In the end, they also maintained this score until the end. Looney completes the quasi-kill.
In the end, in this scene, which should not have been the protagonist, Looney played the protagonist who won the final victory. In fact, isn't this the role Looney has played since joining the Warriors in the draft? He's not the brightest star in the spotlight, but his importance is well agreed within the Warriors, and the Warriors' heroes' heroes' books are written with his name.
In fact, in high school and college, Looney also had a good time, when he was the lead actor of his team. Looney was born in Milwaukee on February 6, 1996, with an older brother and an older sister, and he is also a cousin of NBA player Nick Young. From an early age, Looney came into contact with and fell in love with basketball under the influence of his brother (it is worth mentioning that Looney's brother is named Kevin, and he should be the authentic "Kevin Looney", and Looney's name Kevon seems to be translated as Kevin).
Another big influence of his brother on Looney was that he became a loyal fan of the Lakers and Kobe Bryant. Despite being born in Milwaukee, Looney has no feelings for the local Bucks or the Three Musketeers of the Bucks (Ray Allen, Robinson the Big Dog, and Cassel) who crossed the alliance as a child. As a child, Looney watched a lot of Kobe Bryant videos and tried to imitate the movements of the Lakers legend.
While attending Alexandria-Hamilton High School in Milwaukee, Looney quickly became the core of the team. After the first year of high school, Marquette University and the University of Wisconsin sent him invitations.
In his senior year, Looney averaged 26.1 points, 12.4 rebounds, 3.1 assists and seven blocks per game, leading the team to the finals of the state league. In the senior season, Looney averaged an incredible 27.9 points, 12.7 rebounds, 7 assists and 8 blocks per game, CBS Sports exclaimed, Looney almost played an average of four-doubles per game season. In the end, Looney led the team to an unbeaten record to win the state championship.
Looney then was very different from today. As the tallest player on the team, he is also the best passer in the team, spending most of his time as a point guard. He can control the ball, he can organize, he shoots well, and there are highlights of his game circulating on the Internet, and the title is impressively written that he is "the next Durant".
Looney was named to the McDonald's All-American High School Team and named "Mr. Basketball of Wisconsin" and was named Wisconsin Player of the Year by The Associated Press. In addition, he was named a five-star high school student, ranking 10th to 15th among the 2014 class of high school students in the United States.
Looney's No. 5 jersey was also retired from high school. Since then, No. 5 has almost followed Looney, from the NCAA to the NBA. Looney was rumored to have thought about changing the jersey number, but his close friend Wati Majeed made a clever interpretation of the no. 5: "It means you can play 5 positions and you can also defend 5 positions." ”
As is customary, high school talent like Looney either chooses the university in his hometown or chooses one of the many colleges that covet him, but on Halloween in 2013, Looney made a shocking decision: choose UCLA. You know, UCLA admitted at the time that it could not guarantee what role Looney would play in his freshman year, only promising that he could play both inside and outside, showing his all-rounder, just like kyle Anderson, his senior, the current Grizzlies player and known as the "human creep essence".
It also turned out that UCLA had hardly devised any tactics for Looney, and his scoring opportunities came from offensive and defensive conversions and empty shots. Because of the impact of the buttock injury, the all-around Looney, who could be compared to Durant, was gone, replaced by a bulky interior lineman stationed under the basket.
But even so, Looney didn't regret his decision. He has explained that he chose UCLA because it has "the most beautiful campus I've ever seen" and that UCLA men's basketball coach Steve Alford is also his favorite coach. There is another reason Looney did not say, that is, his love for the Lakers and Kobe Bryant since he was a child has made him have a different kind of affection for Los Angeles.
Despite his limited role on the offensive end, Looney's offensive ability is also improving. In his first 24 games, he shot just 9-of-28 from three-point range, but in his last seven games, his three-pointers improved to 11-of-17. In the end, in the UCLA season, he left an average of 11.6 points and 9.2 rebounds per game, a 47% overall shooting percentage, a 41.5% three-point shooting rate, and also played 15 double-doubles to lead the National Freshman, and was selected for the Best Freshman Team and the Best Second Team in the Pac-12 Zone.
Looney decided to enter the 2015 NBA Draft, but by this time he was no longer the five-star high school student he was. An ESPN report on the morning of the draft also caused an uproar. The article revealed that Looney had undergone hip surgery before the 2014-15 season and was "likely to miss the rookie season due to injury". In addition, there are scouts who question his performance at UCLA, saying he is not tough enough. Despite Looney's team's response, he waited until the 30th pick in the first round to hear he was called, and it was the defending champion Warriors who chose him.
Looking back now, although he almost fell into the second round, Looney was selected by the Warriors as a blessing in disguise. The Warriors already had a stable core lineup at the time, and the high-level operation was mature, which could give the rookies enough patience and time to ask the championship team members for advice at close range. At the same time, the Warriors' ability to cultivate players is also well known in the NBA.
What happened next is familiar to everyone. After the rookie season between the NBA and the G League, Looney's playing time gradually climbed, gradually becoming an indispensable member of the Warriors' rotation lineup. So far this season, Looney has played 26 games and started first. However, he will only turn 26 years old in February next year, but he has already won 2 championships with the Warriors, which can be called a person who has seen big winds and waves.
Throughout Looney's basketball career, he has been proud to peak and has also slipped down. He was once famous, but now he is part of a team of great names. Fate was upon him. Just as the rebounds that fell into his hands by mistake in this game, "there are not many lucky ones", Looney is one. (Supine Braces/Hairy)