The effect on the court was a mess! Was the Pelicans’ decision to sign a former Warriors interior veteran with a large sum of money a wrong decision?

In the previous NBA regular season, the New Orleans Pelicans, playing at home, defeated the Charlotte Hornets 116-112 after a hard-fought battle. After this game, the Pelicans ended their 6-game losing streak after the start of the season and achieved their first victory of the new season. The current record is 1-6 and they continue to rank at the bottom of the Western Conference. The Hornets' record dropped to 3-5, and their ranking fell to 10th in the Eastern Conference.

Although the Pelicans won the game, the performance of the team's starting center Kevon Looney was really shocking. Looney played for 14 minutes and 58 seconds. He made 0 of 3 shots and 0 of 1 from beyond the three-point line. He did not score a point in the game. He only contributed 4 rebounds, 2 assists and 1 block. He also had 1 turnover and 2 fouls. His plus-minus value was as low as -22, the lowest in the game. Looney has no touch on the offensive end, his scoring ability is seriously lacking, and he has no effect at all. Not only that, Looney's performance on the defensive end was not ideal. He did not have the effect he should have at all. His defensive contribution was also seriously insufficient. It can even be said that he was exploited by his opponents in various ways, which was full of side effects. Overall, Looney's performance on both offense and defense was appalling. It was also because his performance was so poor that his playing time was very limited, which also showed that the team's coaching staff did not recognize his abilities.

In the NBA regular season last season, Looney played a total of 76 times on behalf of his old club Golden State Warriors in 82 games, averaging 15 minutes per game. According to statistics, he had 4.5 points, 6.1 rebounds, 1.6 assists, 0.6 steals, 0.5 blocks, 0.5 turnovers and 2 fouls. He shot 51.4% from the field, 40% from the three-point range, and 56.6% from the free throw line. In the playoffs, Looney played a total of 12 times, averaging 10 minutes per game. He averaged 2.2 points, 3.6 rebounds, 0.3 assists, 0.4 steals, and 0.3 blocks per game. He also had 0.2 turnovers and 2.3 fouls. He shot 43.5% from the field and 75% from the free throw line. In the previous game when the team lost to the Charlotte Hornets, Looney made 1 of 3 shots, 0 of 1 from beyond the three-point line, and 1 of 2 free throws in 16 minutes and 28 seconds of playing time. He scored 3 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, and 1 block. He also had 2 turnovers and 3 fouls, with a plus-minus of -15.

Looney became a free agent this summer, and eventually he joined the Pelicans on a two-year contract worth $16 million. Looney's function in the Warriors is actually very limited. His contribution on the offensive end is seriously insufficient, and his role on the defensive end is not particularly obvious. In the end, the Pelicans still gave him a sizable contract, which seemed a bit baffling. In fact, the Pelicans are not unavailable, and they even have plenty of manpower in the interior. As a result, they signed Looney under such circumstances, and gave him a chance to start after he returned from injury, which was an extremely outrageous operation. Looney's series of performances have been like this, and it can be seen to the naked eye that he is not the Pelicans' long-term goal. Will he fall out of the team's starting lineup or even out of the rotation?