The Golden State Warriors are preparing for a 2024-25 NBA season that will be unlike previous years. With Klay Thompson no longer on the roster, the team must transition and build a new competitive squad around key players and new signings. In light of this, Kevon Looney stepped up to deliver an important message to Stephen Curry and the Warriors.
Head coach Steve Kerr will have to rebuild—not from scratch, but by integrating new additions such as Buddy Hield, Kyle Anderson, and De’Anthony Melton. Looney made it clear what the team needs to focus on for a strong start to the season:
“The biggest thing is communicating. Communicating what is new, what we’re used to. You got some new guys, and we kind of do some new schemes on defense and offense. Having communication that we’re all on the same page is important,” Looney said on Sunday.
The center also recalled the methodology the Warriors had on past years. “We used to thrive on chaos in the past where it was more kind of random and we could do whatever. We just knew how to read off each other,” he said. “It was kind of an unspoken thing that we had. But to start the season off with the new group, new faces, different lineups, we need to be on the same page. You got to talk it out,” he ended.
Kevon Looney #5 of the Golden State Warriors is guarded by Domantas Sabonis #11 of the Sacramento Kings during the second half of their preseason game at Chase Center on October 11, 2024 in San Francisco, California.
For the Warriors to remain competitive in the NBA, it’s crucial for the players to recognize the need to adapt. Looney, who has been with the team since being drafted in 2015, embodies the right mentality for this transition, and his leadership alongside Curry will be key for the rest of the roster.
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Coach Kerr backs Looney’s message
In the same wavelength as Looney, Steve Kerr acknowledge that the chaotic playstyle that once defined the Warriors is no longer sustainable: “We can’t count on chaos anymore given the way the rest of the league is playing, the lineups that we see, the switching defenses, our roster now compared to where we were five, six years ago. We have had to make some changes, and we’re in the midst of that.”
Kerr’s most challenging season with the Warriors
Concerns have mounted among Warriors fans, especially after Curry was sidelined in the preseason game against the Los Angeles Lakers due to a sprained finger. Although Kerr assured that Curry would be ready for the season opener, the absence of both Curry and Thompson could pose a significant challenge throughout the season.
Kerr also highlighted the difficulty of integrating the new signings into the team. “The hardest thing for everybody this year – coaches and players – is that right now I would say we’ve got 13 players who look like they’re rotation players to me,” Kerr said last week.
