In the Warriors, the system can still function, but in the Pelicans, the veteran interior is completely worthless?

In the previous NBA regular season, the Oklahoma City Thunder at home defeated the New Orleans Pelicans 137-106. After this game, the Thunder, who had won 7 consecutive games, improved their record to 7-0, ranking first in the Western Conference; while the Pelicans, who suffered a 6-game losing streak, saw their record drop to 0-6, continuing to rank at the bottom of the Western Conference.

In this game, the performance of Pelicans' backup center Kevon Looney was still very disappointing. Looney played 16 minutes and 28 seconds, making 1 of 3 shots, 0 of 1 from beyond the three-point line, and 1 of 2 free throws. He had 3 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, and 1 block. He also had 2 turnovers and 3 fouls, with a plus-minus of -15. Looney has poor touch on the offensive end, and his scoring ability is still unable to be used. He has a certain role in passing and supporting, but it obviously does not have much significance. Looney's performance on the defensive end is also not ideal, and his characteristics in interior defense are not reflected at all. Overall, Looney's effect on the court can be said to be very bad. He did not have the effect he should have on both offense and defense. His opponents also targeted him heavily. He should have done better.

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 games this season, Looney missed the game due to injuries. This game was also his first show of the season. As a result, his performance in the first show was such an outrageous level.

This summer, Looney became a free agent after his contract with the Warriors expired, and finally received a one-year, two-year contract with a total amount of US$16 million from the Pelicans. Looney can indeed play a certain role in the Warriors, but this is obviously closely related to the Warriors' system and style of play. Now that Looney has played such an outrageous performance in his first show, this also illustrates the blindness of the Pelicans management in terms of personnel signings. On the other hand, the Pelicans' interior line includes two young first-round picks, Yves Missi and Derik Queen. In this case, Looney's presence will squeeze their playing time even more. So the question becomes, why did the Pelicans sign Looney?