Willie Green's Ridiculous Kevon Looney Insistence Is Killing the Pelicans

The New Orleans Pelicans are continuing to start Kevon Looney despite all signs pointing to it being a huge mistake.

Nov 12, 2025; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; Portland Trail Blazers forward Toumani Camara (33) dribbles against New Orleans Pelicans forward Kevon Looney (55) during the first half at Smoothie King Center. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-Imagn Images | Stephen Lew-Imagn Images

Kevon Looney's four-minute stint to start the New Orleans Pelicans' loss against the Blazers was the perfect summation of his first season with the team. The veteran center couldn't get up for a lob pass, resulting in a turnover. He then fouled Donovan Clingan under the basket in a no-hope situation to give up the and-one. He followed that up with a moving screen on the other end of the floor for a turnover and his second foul. He was then subbed out in favor of Derik Queen.

Despite starting for a fifth straight game, Looney only played eight minutes and ten seconds on Wednesday. Queen, on the other hand, played almost 38 minutes. The Pelicans were neutral in the rookie's minutes, but lost Looney's minutes by seven points, almost equaling the point difference between the two teams at the end of the game.

Willie Green's Kevon Looney Obsession Will Get Him Fired

This is just the latest in an infuriating season-long trend for the Pelicans. Looney has been a disaster every time he has stepped on the floor. The story has been the same in the past two weeks: the Pelicans dig themselves a hole early on in the game, then Queen comes in, the team starts playing better, but it is usually not enough to overcome the early deficit.

In fact, the Pelicans have never won Looney's minutes in any of the six games he suited up this season. They are -58 in his 87 minutes. The Pelicans are 24.8 points per 100 possessions worse with him on the floor than off, according to Cleaning the Glass data. That is easily the worst on/off mark of any player on the team.

Looney has had tremendous success in his NBA career, playing a crucial role in three titles with the Golden State Warriors. He was a solid defender and an underrated center for a long time. At this stage of his career, however, he doesn't resemble a rotation player. He has lost a couple of steps, as he can't move his feet or get off the ground. He has always been a limited offensive player, and now things have hit a new low. Opposing defenses don't guard him, and every time he ends up with the ball, the Pelicans' offense comes to a screeching halt. He is currently shooting 31.8% from the field as a center who only takes shots around the basket.

This means that the Pelicans are essentially playing four-on-five when they have the ball. Having a player who is such a non-threat with or without the ball completely kills the team's offense.

Everyone except for Willie Green seems to realize that Derik Queen should be the starting center for this team. What is frustrating is that the insistence on starting Looney is making things harder for Queen. The rookie played 38 minutes off the bench, despite sitting on the bench in the first four minutes of each half. That means that he has to play extremely long stretches without a break. Having him in the starting lineup would allow for a more normal rotation where he could play in 8-9 minute stretches at a time and get proper rest rather than playing 15-16 contiguous minutes.

The Pelicans made an incomprehensible decision in the offseason to give Looney a two-year, $16 million contract. So, it's understandable that they want to get the most out of him, but it's time they treat him as a sunk cost and bench him until further notice.