LOS ANGELES – The top priority for the Los Angeles Lakers during the offseason was to acquire a franchise center. They believe they’ve found one in Walker Kessler. But a starting center was not the only concern for the Lakers’ frontcourt, a backup center was a requirement as well. Whoever plays the reserve five role for the team is likely going to be matchup based, but the Lakers have a one strong option in veteran big man Kevon Looney.

Kevon Looney was one of the Lakers’ later free agent signings after their initial splurge, and the veteran center brings a specific skill set that compliments the team’s main stars in Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves. Doncic in particular is a fan of a more structured offense involving pick and rolls, and Looney has been among the best screen-setters in the NBA.

For the first 10 years of his career, the former UCLA standout played alongside two of the best players in league history as far as utilizing screens in Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson. While setting a proper screen has become a bit of a lost art in today’s game, Looney believes he is one of the remaining players who can adequately free up his shooters via proper pick.

“It is [a lost art], but there’s some great screeners in the league and I feel like I’m one of them. It’s different for each player. Every scorer wants a screen set a certain way. So for me, just kind of learning what they want and executing it to the best of m ability,” Looney said following Lakers practice on Oct. 10. “I’m kind of learning fast what Luka and AR want. There’s still room for improvement, it’s the preseason, but we’re starting good with that chemistry.”

Last season was the first that Looney played away from the Warriors. He signed as a free agent with the New Orleans Pelicans in the 2025 offseason, but did not play much amid the team’s disappointing year. He appeared in only 21 games, and made the decision to move on in the summer.

The two-time NBA champion still has gas left in the tank, and it’s not just on the court where is value is seen. Looney has been in the league for a while now and brings a wealth of experience and knowledge that the younger players on the Lakers’ roster can benefit from. Take Walker Kessler for example. The fifth-year big man has been limited in training camp due to a finger injury, but in his short time around Looney, he’s already picked up quite a bit.

“His screening ability is second to none,” Kessler said after Lakers practice on Oct. 11. “His positioning, obviously his size, you can’t really teach that, but his ability to be in the right spot at the right time, get in the way of the defender, I’ve definitely been noticing that. And being like, how can I apply that to my own game.”

With Kessler sidelined for the first three preseason games, Lakers head coach JJ Redick has gone with Looney as the starting center in two of those three games. In his first outing, he responded with a team-high nine rebounds in 18 minutes. In his second start, he had five rebounds in 17 minutes. That was tied with Austin Reaves for second on the team, and behind only Jarred Vanderbilt’s six boards.

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Looney’s been able to have solid longevity in the NBA, and for him, the key was learning how to play a role. He knew coming into the league, he wasn’t going to have the same type of freedom that he did in college. He had to adapt and learn how to fill a niche. And now that he’s one of the veteran guys, he takes it upon himself to impart that wisdom onto younger players looking to gain footing in the NBA.

“That’s one of the hardest things as a young guy coming into the NBA. You’re used to being the man of your team, now you come into a situation … a lot of times there’s gonna be a guy that’s already established as a superstar. You got to learn how to play off him, and it’s not easy to adjust to,” Looney said. “You got to wait your turn and everybody’s not good at being patient and waiting and don’t know how to work when they don’t have the ball in their hands.

“It’s always difficult, but we try to teach all the young guys coming in … talking about learning how to be great in your role and how to be a star in your role, and you can make a lot of money in this league.”