Kevon Looney is providing the template for Atlanta Hawks big man

The Golden State Warriors are a team built around their superstar core. They have the tremendous shooting of Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson to go with the scoring prowess of Andrew Wiggins. Likewise the Atlanta Hawks have the backcourt pairing of Trae Young and Kevin Huerter as well as the shooting prowess of Bogdan Bogdanovic.

The opposition tend to defend these star guards which is justified given just how much offense is created by these guards. However, how far a team goes in the NBA is not just based on their stars, it is based on the rest of the roster and how they are able to take the pressure off their star teammates.

Looney has stepped up in a major way over the past four games, which have all been wins for the Warriors. He had the series close out game against the Memphis Grizzlies where he collected 22 rebounds, 11 offensive and 11 defensive. He also had the 21 point double-double in the comeback game against the Dallas Mavericks. However, his most impressive playoff impact has been the defense of Luka Doncic.

Atlanta Hawks sub Onyeka Okongwu needs to take it up to Looney’s level

Now, avid readers of Soaring Down South know that I am a massive fan of Onyeka Okongwu. I am not suggesting that he is dragging the chain at all. The fact that he came back early from his shoulder injury is testament to how hard the second-year man works.

That being said, it took the veteran leadership of Lou Williams to bring out the best in Okongwu in his rookie year. That connection only got stronger last season and now Okongwu is probably going to lose having Willams around especially if the veteran retires. However, he is showing great personal development by wanting to come back next season with a jumpshot.

In the second game of the Western Conference Finals, where Looney scored his playoff high, he did this by being in the right spots on the floor, getting himself open for his teammates to find. However, not only that, Looney set big screens so that his guards could get open looks from behind the 3-point line.

Looney knew when to roll to the hoop or when to just stand strong to create space. This is a mental part of the game that Okongwu needs to develop, and the Hawks squad need to develop this chemistry with their reserve big man.

Okongwu is super talented in the pick and roll. However, but he can create defensive confusion by not rolling on key plays then this will benefit the spacing on the floor for the Atlanta Hawks. This will be a massive benefit for his star guards.