Warriors’ Kevon Looney readies for ‘big’ Summer League

LAS VEGAS — Kevon Looney was a gangly seventh-grader in 2008 when he scored free tickets to see his hometown Milwaukee Bucks play the Washington Wizards.

After the game, the Wizards’ second-year shooting guard, Nick Young, caught up with Looney’s family.

After two NBA seasons defined by injuries and limited production, Looney is still trying to show that he deserves meaningful minutes.

Had the Warriors not picked up his third-year option last October, Looney would have a tough time getting the front office to justify re-signing him this summer.

Some have speculated that Golden State, which has already improved upon the team that won the franchise’s second NBA title in three years last month, would be best off waiving Looney before training camp to free up a roster spot for a more promising young player.

Of all the moves Bob Myers has made since becoming the Warriors’ general manager in 2012, his decision to take Looney with the final pick of the first round two years ago could go down as one of his few missteps.

The injury concerns that dropped Looney, who underwent hip surgery before his freshman season at UCLA, from likely lottery pick to the draft’s last guaranteed contract have proven warranted.

A week after the Warriors’ championship-clinching Game 5 win over Cleveland, Looney was back in Golden State’s practice facility working with player-development coach Chris DeMarco.

With only three other players under guaranteed contracts with Golden State in Las Vegas (Patrick McCaw, Damian Jones and Jordan Bell), he is poised to shoulder a leadership role.

The hope is that, by hitting open jumpers and getting his teammates involved in Las Vegas, he’ll give himself a shot at a rotation spot come training camp in September.