Kevon Looney Picks the Lakers, Eyeing Pick-and-Roll Reps With Luka Dončić
Looney called LA his top free-agency destination. But at #307 in our rankings, is a backup center worth a bench spot in deep leagues?
Backup role and #307 rank keep him a deep-league watch until minutes clear up.
- Looney, 29, called LA his top FA destination
- 2025-26: 2.8 pts, 5.6 reb, 14.2 FPTS/G in 21 games
- Ranked #307 overall, #111 at position
- Luka ran 648 pick-and-roll possessions last year, most in NBA
- Last 5 games: +3.8 FPTS above season average
Kevon Looney is a Laker, and by his own telling, that's exactly where he wanted to be. The 29-year-old veteran, an unrestricted free agent this summer, told ESPN LA's Mason & Ireland show that once the Lakers moved to fill a hole at center, LA jumped to the front of his list. He said the situation had plenty of moving parts across the league, but once the need opened up, he made it happen.
The fantasy footprint here is small so far. Looney averaged just 2.8 points, 5.6 rebounds and 1.6 assists across 21 games in 2025-26 (actual), good for 14.2 fantasy points per game and a #307 overall spot in our rankings — #111 at his position. He's coming to LA as a backup and championship-tested stabilizer at a spot the Lakers have churned through for years, not as a stat-sheet stuffer.
Why the Luka Fit Matters
Looney was candid about how much he did not enjoy defending Luka Dončić. He described the pick-and-rolls, the isolations and the one-on-one hell of guarding the man he now gets to screen for instead. That's not just talk — Luka logged 648 pick-and-roll possessions last season, the most in the league, with LaMelo Ball a distant second at 593.
Being a clean roll-and-screen partner is the whole job description. Looney said he's excited to learn how Luka wants the action run, and he's got the résumé for it after years of setting picks for Steph Curry in Golden State. He doesn't need to be his 2022 self here. He needs to stay upright and do the grunt work that pries the floor open for everyone else.
For fantasy purposes, though, screen-setting doesn't pay the bills. Looney's value lives and dies with minutes, and behind whatever the Lakers roll out as their starting five, those minutes are murky. His last five games did trend up — plus-3.8 fantasy points over his season average — but that's a small sample on a small role.
The move: keep Looney on your watch list, not your roster. In standard formats he's droppable and undrafted. Deep-league and dynasty managers hunting cheap rebounds should track how the Lakers' frontcourt rotation shakes out in camp before spending a bench spot. If injuries push him into 25-plus minutes, revisit — until then, there's nothing to chase.
