Warriors 2015 first-rounder Kevon Looney underwent a successful right hip arthroscopy this morning to repair a torn labrum, the team announced in a press release. The forward is expected to miss a minimum of four to six months before returning to basketball activity, according to the team.
“Kevon has his entire NBA career ahead of him and we felt that, in consultation with our medical staff, Kevon and his representatives, it was best to address the issue now,” said Warriors GM Bob Myers. “He will have our complete support throughout the rehabilitation process and we are confident he will make a full recovery.”
The forward out of UCLA possesses lottery-level talent, but long-term concerns about his hip likely caused him to last until the No. 30 overall pick this year. Looney had believed that he could continue to play without surgery but subsequent medical evaluations deemed a procedure necessary. “I had suffered a hip injury when I first got to UCLA, and I played the whole season with it,” Looney had told Diamond Leung of The Bay Area News Group back in July. “I went through the [draft] workouts with it. I still can play now. I can play just fine. I can walk good. I’m not hurting right now. I’m looking to the doctors to tell me what they really want to do, but this is an injury that I had, and I can actually play with, and I can actually do well with it.“
Looney, 19, appeared in 36 contests for the Bruins last season, averaging 11.6 points, 9.2 rebounds, 1.4 assists, and 1.3 steals in 30.9 minutes per game. His slash line was .470/.415/.626.
He faced an uphill battle to see playing time of any significance this season anyway, so I don’t think this will set him back too much.