Atlanta Hawks: 6 Free Agents in Warriors/Rockets Series to Potentially Sign

Kevon Looney

Now we get into the realm of the more realistic for the Atlanta Hawks.

Kevon Looney would fill a sore need for the Atlanta Hawks as a rim-protecting big man that has also shown flashes of ability to step out and defend on the perimeter – though that will likely never be the main thrust of his game.

Despite next season being his 5th in the NBA, Looney will still be only 23 years old – making him perfectly in tune with the Hawks’ timeline of young players and organic growth via youth that Schlenk and company have put into place.

Looney is only 6-foot-9, but he has an incredibly wide frame with bulky, protuberant shoulders as well as a +5 wingspan of 7-foot-4 that should deter drivers to the rim when Looney is in there. Quite fleet of foot at 220 pounds, Looney could prove to be an important building block for the Atlanta Hawks if he is acquired via free agency this offseason.

Though Looney has only attempted 26 three-pointers in his tenure with the Warriors, knocking them down at a (ahem) 19.2 percent clip, he is a fairly reliable midrange shooter according to Cleaning the Glass. Looney attempted only 8 percent of his shots from long midrange, but he knocked those shots down at a 53 percent clip – which was the highest on the Warriors and in the 94th percentile among centers.

If he can extend that range out a bit further, he’ll be a perfect fit as a young, lithe big man in head coach Lloyd Pierce’s modern offensive system.