GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS MEDIA CONFERENCE

May 13, 2023

Kevon Looney

Media Conference

Q. When you look at the way this season went, especially compared to last season when you won the Championship, what were the main differences between the way the team approached things and the attitude and makeup and all those things?

KEVON LOONEY: It's always harder to go back and do it again. We had a little bit of a different group, a little bit more less experience. We had a lot of adversity this season with guys being out of the lineup but we never had a time where we were really just all together. Last year we had a time where at the beginning of the season we were all locked in and all healthy at the same time. We wasn't healthy at the end of the day but we still had that experience that we could pull from the beginning of the season where we were all healthy.

This year was more in and out, guys missing, things like that. It was tough to build the chemistry and camaraderie that you need to win that championship. I think we did our best job of dealing with the situation, and I think we got the most out of our group.

Q. You've obviously developed into a leader in the locker room there. What kind of maintenance from a leadership standpoint was needed this season and how does that compare and contrast to other seasons that you've been here?

KEVON LOONEY: I think it was a lot more maintenance this year than in the years prior. You know, last year, it was kind of smooth sailing for the most part. We had a couple bumps in the road but we had a lot of veterans and guys who already knew how to deal with -- they already knew what they were. They knew their roles and what to expect.

But we had a lot of younger guys and roles were changing every couple weeks due to guys being in and out of the lineup. So it was a lot more different things to deal with this year. I think we did a good job of coming together at the end of the year and really relied on each other and building that brotherhood. I think that's why we were able to get out of the first round and even compete in the second round after struggling earlier in the season.

I think we kind of rallied together and figured it out but definitely a lot of bumps.

Q. I know you and Jordan are close in that way. When you see the varying role, it seems like his role shifted the most often of the guys in the starting lineup, in and out of it. How do you approach a guy or help him as a friend and teammate as a leader where those roles seem to be so variable all season?

KEVON LOONEY: You just try to make him comfortable out there on the court and off the court. It's not easy to have your role change from game-to-game and week-to-week. This were times Steph was out, Wiggs is out, he's carrying us and playing 35, 40 minutes and taking a lot of shots and holding down the fort and other times he's coming off the bench and playing spot minutes. I think he did a good job handling that.

For me, just try to be there for him and if he needs someone to talk to, let him talk, and like I said, making him comfortable, trying to letting him know what the group expects and what Steve and everybody expects from him and just try to be there for him.

Q. Do you reflect on the greatness you've had with this core group? I know it's the day after, but people say, is this group to go to stay together or is it the end of a dynasty? Do you allow yourself to think back on how special this has been, these last recent years and how hard it is to win?

KEVON LOONEY: Not yet. Last year after we won, I got a chance to reflect and think about all the great things that we did. But this year, you know, still fresh. Still sore spot getting put out in the second round.

This group has been through a lot and I feel like we've got a lot more to give, and watching Steph, Klay and Draymond, what they did all season, what they did in the playoffs, was spectacular, and it obviously shows that they have a lot left more to give.

You know, this summer, I'm definitely going to reflect on the past and what I can do to help our team get better and what I can do to get myself getter to help us and get back to the Finals and get back to our ultimate goal.

Yeah, I haven't reflected yet but I'm going to take some time.

Q. Did you amaze yourself at all during any of these stretches when the rebounds were 20, 23, 22, and just how you kept doing it, no matter who was in the paint with you, Davis or whoever else?

KEVON LOONEY: You know, this was what you train for and this is when you want to happen, and you don't know if it's going to happen; if the ball is going to fall your way; if you're going to be healthy enough to get the job done.

All the cards kind of fell in the right place for me towards the end of the season and the playoff. I felt like I peaked at the right time, and played some of the best basketball of my career. I feel I can continue to get better and I feel like I can do more, and set a standard for myself of what I can get better and what I can reach.

I wouldn't say I surprised myself but I was happy with myself to be able to help my team and be able to perform at a high level.

Q. The organization has always been known about its chemistry and things like that, and we know what the chemistry was like this season, but when you're constantly trying to repair that on the fly, how hard is it to come together in a hone environment like this?

KEVON LOONEY: It's not easy but I think we did a good job. I think we did come together. To beat that Sacramento team, it took all of us, and it took a group effort and I think we came together. I think our chemistry was really good. Towards the end of the season, to get into the playoffs and get into the season that we wanted and then to win in the first round, I think our chemistry got to a level that it need to be at that needs to continue to grow and to go forward.

Ultimately, we didn't complete our goal. I don't think chemistry was the issue. Sometimes you run up against a team that outplays you and is better, and I think that's what happened.

Q. What do you think the team kind of needs different to kind of get back to where you guys were at a championship level or in a championship-contender level for next season?

KEVON LOONEY: I think it's still a little too fresh for me to give you an exact answer of what we're missing. Up until yesterday, I still thought we had enough to win. I don't really know. That's kind of a -- Bob and them, Steve's job to do. I think the experience of this year going to help us going forward and with all the young guys and new faces that we had, I think we'll be able to grow from this experience and losing, and losing together, I think will take us a long way.

Q. You've been around this team long enough to where you can look at different seasons and how they went and what it was like, and you've been around some teams that were really tight, together and you've been around teams that were more fractured and had to keep coming together, kind of thing. When you look at this year's team, you guys came together towards the end of the season. How much of that was guys getting healthy and how much of that was the experience of what happened before and you guys working past all that stuff?

KEVON LOONEY: I think it was a combination of both. I think the biggest problem was guys getting healthy. When you're able to play together and lose together and grow together on the road and at home and different things like that, and have more defined roles, I think it makes things a lot easier.

But yeah, a lot of times where guys were out of the lineup, and guys' minutes were fluctuating. You never knew what to really expect a lot of the season; missing Steph for long periods of time that, never helps your team, because you know, he's the best player in the world.

I think it was just guys being out of the lineup and roles all changing and because of that, that kind of affected the way our team was. We never got a chance to look at our whole team for a long stretch of the year. So I think that was probably the biggest thing.

But I think we did a great job of coming together. The young guys was able to get an opportunity from the other guys being out and I think they will be better from it.

Q. When you look at last year, Otto and Beli and D-Lee and those guys, they were older, but they also had an opportunity that kind of said, okay, I belong here. Do you miss some of that attitude where every day you have to prove you belong?

KEVON LOONEY: I wouldn't say that. That was our attitude with our bench last year. In my years prior, we had bonafide guys off the bench who had long NBA career. You can do it with different types of supporting cast.

We did miss -- those guys had a lot of experience and they had a lot of pedigree and been around and seen a lot of different basketball. I think we missed some of that basketball know-how, not having Andre being able to play this year a lot because of injury. Otto and Beli played a lot of basketball in their life and they knew what to do, and their basketball IQ that they brought, when you don't replace that, it's kind of stuff.