Warriors News: Dubs Starting Center Suffers Injury, Playing Minutes May Dwindle

The Golden State Warriors have to deal with a thinning lineup and injuries are something they cannot afford. Kevon Looney reportedly suffered a minor hamstring injury although an update reveals it is not expected to keep him from playing when the 2019-20 NBA season opens.

According to Warriors head coach Steve Kerr, Looney suffered the injury after practice. Aside from the 23-year-old center, Alen Smailagic also injured his ankle, Monte Poole of NBC Sports reported.

Kevon Looney (hamstring) and Alen Smailagic (ankle) left practice early today, per Warriors coach Steve Kerr. Updates to come.
— Monte Poole (@MontePooleNBCS) October 2, 2019

The development is something that the Warriors do not need right now. Already out for the NBA preseason is Willie Cauley-Stein who is dealing with a left foot strain. The 26-year-old center, who was added in the offseason, will reportedly miss the first four games of the NBA regulars season. As for the preseason games, Omari Spellman will be manning the center slot for the Dubs.

Fortunately for Dubs fans, Looney is expected to be ready when the Warriors open their NBA regular season. The Warriors will open their season against the visiting Los Angeles Clippers on October 24.

"There’s always a concern, but he told me he didn’t think it was bad,” Warriors head coach Steve Kerr said in a report by the San Francisco Chronicle. “Where we are with the center position right now, with Willie out, Looney and Alen are two of the remaining three or four centers. Omari (Spellman) you could say is a five, so we’re going to have to figure out what to do.”

Looney agreed for lesser pay to stay with the Warriors. As mentioned in a previous post, the 30th pick of the 2015 NBA Draft preferred to stay with a good team than join a new one with higher pay. With the departure of Kevin Durant and DeMarcus Cousins, the decision is expected to pay off for Looney. He agreed to a three-year $15 million deal with the Dubs.

Looney is seen as an integral part of the new-look Warriors. Stephen Curry, Draymond Green and Klay Thompson are still around to lead the pack. Aside from Cauley-Stein, another new face is D'Angelo Russell. With Thompson questionable for the coming NBA season, the second overall pick of the 2015 Draft is expected to fill in the void.