Kevon Looney on Camp Competition, Jordan Poole | Pelicans Training Camp 2025

Kevon Looney on Camp Competition, Jordan Poole | Pelicans Training Camp 2025

What’s it been like just kind of getting another new squad, kind of seeing where you fit in here? Uh, it’s been a lot of fun. The energy has been great. Uh, crisis has been real competitive and we’ve been really getting after it. So, it’s been fun. Uh, learning a new system, learning new players, learning the coaches. It’s been really cool. What’s that, uh, learning curve been like, I guess? How different is it versus what you used to doing? Uh, it’s not really so much different. I’ve been in the league a long time, so I kind of know all the all the schemes and all the terminology of being in just being in the NBA. uh you know just the the schedule of practice the you know way they like to you know run things is is different uh but you know basketball is basketball at the end of the day so it has really you know real learning curve uh you know might be something in the game or when we start playing against other teams it might feel different but right now it’s been it’s been cool easy been a lot of fun what’s it been like just running alongside JP again as teammates it’s been great you know uh seems like it seems like we a we ain’t missed the beat we’ve been playing together for a long time and you know he’s been gone for a few years but it’s been cool just uh have having him back around uh being around his energy. You know, he’s a joy to play with. He always brings a happy attitude into the gym. Uh so, it’s been a a breath of fresh air to be around him. Is he more vocal now than he was back back when you played with him? For sure. You know, uh my first couple years, he was a young guy trying to figure it out. Uh uh you know, even but later his last couple years with playing with him, he was starting to be more vocal, but now you can see he’s way more confident. Uh he’s almost at the veteran status in the league. I ain’t going to give him that credit yet, but he almost there. Uh but you know, no, he’s definitely more vocal. He’s stepping into his leadership and especially being a lead guard, you got to be somebody that we can follow and he’s been stepping into that role. Besides the vocal part, what else stands out to you that he’s improved upon since you were teammates with him last? Uh just his pace, uh his decision- making, you know, uh I used to get on on him about early in his career about, you know, playing too fast. Now he kind of seems to have control of the offense control, knowing where he wants to get to, knowing his spots on the court. Uh and he’s competing more on the defensive end. Uh it’s something that, you know, he got to continue to get better at, but he’s been seem like he’s taking that challenge in that side. you’re um obviously bringing a lot of experience here. Um can you talk about your your impressions of the other you have two two other centers that are coming off of their rookie year. Um what are your thoughts on just kind of the development of even and Carlo in terms of like and and maybe what you you talked to those guys about? Uh no they’re really talented. No, they’re really athletic. uh you know they can play a long time in this league and uh just seeing them on the last couple days we really just been as as big just talking about the small things like pick and roll coverage uh screening uh you know making sure we dominate the glass and different things like that. So, uh, I didn’t get to watch a lot of them last year, but seeing them coming in, I’ve been impressed about just how, uh, physical they are. Um, how athletic they are. You know, uh, you know, that’s why I kind of try to test the young, see how strong they are, they going to let me try to push them around, but they they’ve been stepping up to the challenge. They’re they’re really strong and, uh, they’re really competitive. And knowing how much this team struggled with rebounding last year and knowing that’s how you kind of made your bones in this league, did you kind of identify, hey, this is where I can really help this team. This is where I can make a big difference. Uh, for sure. That’s something I take pride in. You know, I feel like whatever team I’m on, I want to be one of the best rebounding teams. And that’s the mentality that that starts starts from the bigs, but we got to kind of trickle down to the to the guards and to everybody else on the team. We got to be a mentality that every night going to bring a hard hat. And uh if it’s a 50-50 ball, we’re going to go get it. And uh you know, starts with the bigs. So, we got to start uh you know, me, Eve, uh Carlo just to, you know, set the tone that we going to get every rebound. And when you go out go out there and play hard like that, your team teammate usually follow and uh you can hold them accountable when you getting that rebound. How do you feel on the talent that is on this team that they can you guys can be a good rebounding team for sure? We got a lot of a lot of length, a lot of athleticism, a lot of speed. Uh we got a lot of size. You know, I’ve been on teams where we weren’t the the fastest or the the biggest, but we were pretty good at rebounding. It’s just about technique and it’s about uh will and want and I feel like, you know, these first couple days, we got a lot of guys super competitive. Uh we got a lot of dogs on the team and we just got to go out there and show them. What are your first impressions of uh working with Coach Green? It’s been great. you know, uh, you know, see him in his head coaching role. He’s a a great coach and a, great leader. Uh, he has a great command of, uh, of the team and, uh, of the gym, uh, and his exo seem to be good so far. And, um, I’m really really excited to really learn from him and pick his, uh, pick his mind and he’s been a great communicator so far and letting guys know what he what he wants and what what he expects and, uh, so it should be a great year. And you talked about how different Jordan is from when you first had him at go to say, how different is Coach Green versus when he was out there? Uh, definitely. I mean, for his demeanor and his uh his way of approach of work, it’s been insane. You know, I got the uh he was like the player development when he was with us at Golden State, but he’s a a former player and uh he kind of carried himself like that. Uh he’s always been kind of serious and kind of, you know, uh know straight to the point and uh blunt and he always told the truth and he kind of does the same thing now. And uh as a as a leader, you always seen a guy that could be a great leader in uh a leader in the locker room and that’s he makes sense that he’s the head coach. So he kind of meant it been the same. Uh so it ain’t really much change for him. There’s a lot of former players like you worked with coach Kurr and Coach Gre even Joe Dum Mars. What does it mean to have like a former player being the one in charge? It means a lot. You know, having a former player that a guy that’s been in your shoes that been through uh knows what you’re going through, knows the adversity that you’re facing. You kind of know uh know your your circumstances. Uh it means a lot as when you can talk to your coach and he knows what you’re thinking. He know what you’re feeling. You know how it feels to when you’re not making shots, you know how it feels to be in a contract gear. All those different things that uh know a fan or somebody who just stepped into the job might not know about, they know about and they’ve been through it and experienced it probably 10fold. So, uh it’s great to have uh coaches that can, you know, you can really learn on and lean on and really vent to and they can give you sound advice. At some point, are you going to get a chance to compare your rings with Joe Dumar’s rings? Uh probably. So, I’m I’m going to wait till probably, you know, once we we win a lot of games, then I’m I’m going to bring mine in and ask him about his. I think uh I think they said that team would have beat ours back back in the day. I think they did an interview with Stephan and Clay, but I got my own way in put in that.

New Orleans Pelicans forward Kevon Looney speaks with the media following practice on Day 2 of Pelicans Training Camp at the Ochsner Sports Performance Center on Thursday, Sept. 25, 2025.
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