• 2 days ago
Transcript
00:00River Island's guest line is none other than Kavon Looney joining us here on Weatherden Dibs.
00:06So first and foremost, Kavon, thank you. Thank you very much. I know you guys just landed, so thank you for the time. We appreciate it.
00:13Thanks for having me on.
00:13Yeah, absolutely. And then can you take us through this three-pointer in the corner yesterday?
00:19Was this a design play or how'd this thing all come together?
00:23It was a design play, you know.
00:26Offense was flowing pretty well, so he was trying some new things out and, you know, Steve's dribbling a three-pointer in the corner.
00:34You know, Pat made the right play and I shot it with confidence and it went in.
00:38You know, I practiced it enough. They've been talking about it. I need to get me a three
00:42before the season ends, so I got me one last game.
00:45So now that officially becomes a part of the playbook, right? You went to Steve after the game immediately and said, hey, this works.
00:50I'm hot.
00:52That's what I said. I said he drove more plays. I'll probably get more points and more threes, but we'll see if it works for him.
00:59You know what, Kavon? I mean, take us through this. Like, I watched you in college and you shot threes.
01:06So, like, where is this in your game? And do you think that there's,
01:11you know, there's more to it that you could use offensively?
01:17For sure.
01:19The goal this summer was to improve as a shooter and shoot more threes and I worked a lot at it,
01:25but I shot it more in training camp. I would shoot them in the scrimmages, but
01:29I didn't really find my footing and during the season to find, no, I didn't want to shot hunt threes.
01:36I didn't want to be that's what my calling card was. That's never gonna be my thing
01:39I hang my hat on, but if a three came my way, I was gonna try to shoot them.
01:43As games go by, you stop shooting them and it's kind of this, you know, kind of
01:47go to what you know. So, I've been trying to challenge myself. That's one thing I think that can take my,
01:53can extend my career and take me to another level is being a better shooter and shooting more threes. But,
01:58you know, right now,
02:00Steve comes to me and says, I need you to shoot more threes. That's what I'm gonna do.
02:03But he usually asks me to do what he want me to do out there, which is rebound, screen,
02:08connect the game and do different things like that. So, that's what I kind of focus on.
02:12Yeah, you hit one of the 21 threes for the team on the night and just an explosion with 148 points.
02:18I know you won in New Orleans a couple of nights earlier,
02:21but was that just a nice offensive palate cleanser for you guys to feel like you just got into a nice little rhythm again?
02:29Definitely. Yeah, I've been struggling shooting the ball on his road trip.
02:34We won that game in New Orleans, but we didn't play
02:38the style that we wanted, so we didn't
02:41play a great game from start to finish. I think we needed that,
02:44especially all these last few games. All these games are important. We're playing a really good team,
02:49so just have our confidence right to get our rhythm back, getting everybody clicking all on the same page.
02:56It's really important for us, and I think last game we had, it was a great game for us to get our rhythm and
03:01showcase what we can be. Hey, Loon, real quick on this. Do you guys get into three-point shooting competitions in practice?
03:11Not really.
03:14Steph is the guy, so we don't really. The big kind of dude usually shoot around me, QP, and
03:20Tracey usually have a little three-point contest in our workout.
03:26I know we do, but I don't know. Steph does his own thing.
03:30If you want to get into a three-point contest with a buddy, you're gonna be in there all day because he loves to shoot.
03:34He's gonna be in there two and a half hours getting shots up. Guys usually got their routines, but me, QP, and Trace,
03:40we definitely shoot three at the end. How many of your Warriors teammates do you think you could take in a three-point shootout?
03:47I think I'm middle of the pack. I think I'm pretty good. I can shoot the ball pretty well, and I used to shoot last year.
03:53I don't shoot them in the game, but I still always practice them, so I feel good about it.
03:57I think I'm probably about middle of the pack.
03:59Yeah, yeah, you're clearly a notch ahead of TJD who tried the Kavon play on the other side of the floor.
04:06Didn't quite get the same success as you, but you know, kind of fun to see at the end of the game you guys getting a
04:11chance to flesh that out a little bit and shoot the three.
04:15So you're in Memphis now, and Memphis is about to play Boston here in 20 minutes.
04:20So do you guys all gather together, lock in, and watch the game, or do you just kind of take some time for yourself?
04:27It depends.
04:30It's like today, I'll probably just sit in the room. We just got in and probably watch the game on TV to get comfortable.
04:38It depends on the hotel, how nice the hotel is. Sometimes we'll all go into the ballroom. Some guys might play poke.
04:42We all watch the game together, but it's a long road trip, so guys are probably tired.
04:47We'll probably just stay in the room tonight.
04:48Yeah, come on. Let's hear about this road trip because we're hearing a lot about the challenges associated with it.
04:55It's a long one. There's been a lot of off days. How are you guys handling it?
05:02I think we handled it well. We got off to a rough start,
05:06but the last two games have been better.
05:08You know, it's always gonna be hard to win on the road, and if we can close it out with some good wins,
05:12it'll be a great road trip.
05:14You know, like I said, it's been a long road trip,
05:17but we got to be together as a team to be able to bond and be able to hang out with each other,
05:22be able to connect. It's big for us, especially going into the playoffs. We're doing that chemistry, getting guys back.
05:28So I think it's good for us to see where we're at.
05:31I think we've been growing as a team, kind of learning about each other.
05:34So it's been a lot of fun. It's been tough,
05:35but hopefully these next two wins, it'll be a great road trip. Four games in what is now like nine days.
05:42It'll be 10 or 11 by tomorrow. That doesn't seem physically like a huge strain,
05:46but can you explain the mental part of a road trip like this, where it's four different cities,
05:52now a fifth city, you're gone from home for a couple of weeks at a time,
05:56especially you as a recently engaged man.
05:59What are the challenges mentally of being on the road?
06:03It's always tough being on the road. You're away from your family for the most part,
06:07you know, living out of suitcases, going hotel to hotel, doing a lot of traveling.
06:11You know, we've been far, far, far away from San Francisco.
06:15There's long flights. We're getting rest in between, but you're still not getting your daily routine.
06:22You don't have the same access to the gyms and stuff like you do at home,
06:25where you just go get up at any time of day and go into the gym, go into your comfort zone.
06:30So it's a little different, but you know, we all professional.
06:32We all know how to handle road trips, but this is not our first long road trip.
06:35So it's definitely mentally taxing, especially at this time of the year,
06:40and when it's game 70, whatever, four or five, you know, your body's pretty tired.
06:46But, you know, this is a game that we love, so we look forward to just going on the road
06:51and playing these games and trying to quiet the white crowd out.
06:54It makes it worthwhile.
06:55Come on, Looney, joining us on Weather in Dibs.
06:57Come on, since Dibs brought it up, we'll let everybody know that your fiancé, Mariah Simone,
07:03can you take us through it?
07:04How did you propose?
07:08We had, I was in San Diego, I was at the Hotel Del Coronado.
07:14I was on the beach. I'm not even a beach guy, but she likes it, so I did it on the beach.
07:18We had dinner, then a surprise, and I told her we were taking,
07:22she loves to take pictures and model and stuff like that,
07:24so I told her we were just taking pictures.
07:26It was right after Valentine's Day, and I didn't really get to celebrate with her,
07:29so I told her it was our Valentine's Day dinner.
07:31And so, yeah, we went on the beach, we took pictures first, had dinner,
07:36and then I said we had one last picture we had to take,
07:38and then popped the question.
07:41She was really surprised and really happy, and I'm glad she said yes.
07:44Now, hold on, I think you left something out.
07:47Is this true that you had white roses and candles on the beach that read,
07:53Will You Marry Me?
07:55I did, I did. I tried to be romantic.
07:59When I'm on the court, I try to be physical, and I try to hurt people out there,
08:03but outside, I try to be nice to my girlfriend.
08:05So wait, so who went and did that for you, or did you do that before?
08:11I didn't do it. I made some calls. I had some people set it up for me,
08:14but yeah, I had to call around town, and they got it done for me.
08:19He's a playmaker. I mean, that's making a play right there.
08:22Sure.
08:22That's making a play.
08:24That's harder than knocking out a three, I know that.
08:26Yeah, it definitely was.
08:29Yeah, the logistics. I mean, you just had to get to the corner
08:31and have Pat Spencer find you and knock down the triple,
08:34and this was a much, much bigger deal.
08:37So you got Memphis tomorrow, then the Lakers,
08:40and you got Denver in the back-to-back, and then you got Houston.
08:43How do you guys go about being aware of what's coming down the road
08:47while also trying to stay in the moment on the game that you have in front of you?
08:52We just try to stay in the moment. We just go game by game.
08:56If you lose one game, your whole standards can change,
08:59so you can't look ahead. We just try to stay in the moment.
09:03We're all looking at a standard. We all have a goal.
09:05Nobody wants to be in the play-in,
09:06so we just want to get as high a seating as possible,
09:08and then we control our own destiny.
09:10If we win, we'll move up.
09:12So we just try to stay game by game.
09:16Coaches, Mike, they got their scouts,
09:18so they're probably looking ahead.
09:19They got to make sure they have us prepared,
09:21but we're just taking it game by game and trying to stay in the moment.
09:24Each game is going to be difficult.
09:25All the teams, we all fight for jockeying for positions,
09:28so it's going to be a lot of great competition,
09:30and this makes the NBA fun to have stretches like this.
09:33Yeah, Kavon, I mean, you say stay in the moment,
09:36and I'm sure you guys do a good job with that.
09:38Starting tomorrow, over a six-day stretch,
09:40you will play the current five-seed,
09:42then the four-seed, then the three-seed, then the two-seed.
09:45Does this feel daunting to you guys?
09:48Uh, no.
09:51I don't want to say it feels daunting.
09:52I'm excited for it.
09:53It's going to be a lot of fun
09:55to play in high-pressure games in a regular season.
09:59That's what makes the NBA fun, like I said.
10:01So I'm looking forward to it.
10:02We know it ain't going to be easy,
10:04but we all live for these moments,
10:06and we get to control our own destiny.
10:08If we win, like I said, we get to move up,
10:10and you want to test yourself,
10:11and we talk about being a championship team
10:13and being a contender.
10:15That's where you get to prove yourself
10:17and get to measure where you're at,
10:18get to improve and see where you can get better at,
10:21especially going into the playoffs.
10:22So I think we're all excited.
10:25It's going to be, like I said,
10:26it's going to be challenging on the body,
10:27going to be challenging on the mind,
10:28but it's going to be a lot of fun.
10:29You guys have always been a very confident group,
10:31having won multiple championships and the lot,
10:34and now you add Jimmy Butler.
10:36What was it like when Jimmy first came into the locker room?
10:39How did that help to bolster a confident group
10:42to get even more confident?
10:45Just the way he carries himself.
10:47Him coming into the locker room
10:48kind of just changed a whole lot.
10:51He's an All-NBA player.
10:53He's an All-NBA defender.
10:55So with him coming in,
10:56he carries himself with extreme confidence.
10:59He's not worried about trying to fit in.
11:00He just came in and was being himself,
11:03and we kind of just follow his lead.
11:05Steph and Draymond are great.
11:09Having guys to join into a culture
11:12and bringing that joy and setting the tone
11:15and bring another guy like Jimmy
11:16just kind of added to that mix.
11:18They all fit in perfect.
11:19The personalities blend in well.
11:21Having Jimmy out there,
11:22having another competitor out there,
11:23another guy that likes to have fun
11:25and is really intense.
11:28It's been great.
11:29I think it was a spark that we needed.
11:30It kind of just changed our season.
11:34He's been great to play with.
11:35Come on, that vibe that he brings,
11:37how would you compare it to the successful teams
11:41and their vibe that you've been on in the past?
11:48I would say it's similar in the fact that
11:54all the guys like each other.
11:57He's really focused on winning.
11:59He has that hunger.
12:00But he's a different person than all the other guys.
12:04He's a neat guy.
12:07He's not like the other guys that we had in the locker room.
12:09He's a different type of person
12:10I think I never played with before.
12:12So he has his own different things that he does
12:15and the way he carries himself,
12:16but he's all in on winning.
12:19And I think that's what we have in common
12:21with the other teams.
12:21It's all about winning.
12:23Him, Steph, Draymond, all around the same age.
12:25They kind of bit through battles together.
12:28So we got a good blend of young talent,
12:31older guys and guys around my age.
12:33So I think it all kind of balances out.
12:35And I think that's what we have a good team
12:38we need to have all those different types of personalities.
12:40Is it a bit of an odd experience for you now
12:42to not only be one of the vets,
12:44but you look around and you got JK and Pods
12:47and they're just babies
12:48and you got rookies and TJD and all these other guys
12:51and you wake up and you're one of the OGs now.
12:54What's that been like for you, Kavon?
12:57It's definitely been different.
12:59I don't know if I like it yet.
13:01When I got young guys coming to me,
13:03calling me OG and different things like that,
13:05I'm not still getting used to it.
13:07Sometimes I feel like people try to age me a little faster.
13:09They're like, I'm 35, like step in them.
13:11And I'm not, I'm still, I'm still in my 20s.
13:13So I'm getting used to it,
13:15but it's a lot of fun just having guys that,
13:18especially like Pods, JK,
13:21to see like JK, even Moses,
13:23they've been in the league four years now,
13:24but they still like 21, 22 to see them mature.
13:27Seeing them grow, seeing them get better as players
13:30and as grown men, it's been fun to see.
13:35Hopefully I can keep being here
13:37and being a veteran a long time,
13:39but it's definitely different
13:40and I'm still getting used to it.
13:41All right, Loon, you're a gentleman for joining us.
13:45We'll let you leave us with this.
13:47So Jaron Jackson, Jackson Hayes, Nikola Jokic,
13:52and then Shen Goon,
13:53who are you most looking forward
13:55to saying hi to this week?
13:57Uh, man, they all, they all gonna be a lot of fun.
14:04I didn't get to play against Jokic last.
14:06He was, he was hurt last game.
14:07So I'm looking forward to playing against him.
14:09We all, we both, you know, learned from Deckey.
14:13So I'll get to talk to him about that.
14:15So I'm looking forward to that matchup.
14:16Love that, love that.
14:17Hey, enjoy the night off in Memphis
14:20and a big week ahead.
14:21Thank you so much, Kevon.
14:22Really appreciate it.
14:24I appreciate you.