The Warriors are hitting adversity with the playoffs around the corner, but to Kevon Looney, that doesn’t mean they’re feeling the pressure.
Despite having dropped six of seven games following a 123-95 loss to the Memphis Grizzlies on Monday, Looney said the atmosphere around this group is different from that of previous Warriors teams that had a chance to make a title run.
“I wouldn’t really say we feel the pressure,” Looney told reporters after the game. “A lot of us haven’t even experienced the playoffs. They don’t even know what the pressure is like. We’re young as a group. We don’t really have a lot of adversity.”
Stay in the game with the latest updates on your beloved Bay Area and California sports teams! Sign up here for our All Access Daily newsletter.
Looney, who was drafted by the Warriors in 2015 and won three championships, said it’s “been a few years” since the team has been in this position. He pointed to rookies Jonathan Kuminga and Moses Moody, who are just “trying to figure out making it through a regular season.”
“It’s their first 82 games,” Looney said. “I don’t think people feel pressure. We’re just trying to figure it out. Just trying to get it right.”
When Moody was asked if he faced pressure, the 19-year-old told reporters that he was dealing with the “pressure of the unknown.”
“Given that I haven't experienced the playoffs, I wouldn't necessarily know why or exactly what we’re up against, but I know it’s something and I know it’s a lot,” Moody said. “So, with the unknown, there’s still pressure too. You want to get it all together before whatever it is goes down.”
Golden State Warriors
Find the latest Golden State Warriors news, highlights, analysis and more with NBC Sports Bay Area and California.
RELATED: Brooks fires shot at Iguodala after Dubs' loss to Grizzlies
Looney said it’s a good thing the team isn’t feeling too down during the recent skid, and that nobody is hanging their heads or creating division in the locker room.
“We don’t have that here,” Looney said. “We’ve still been playing with a lot of joy. Guys are still happy to come to work. We’re still plucking away. That’s a part of being young. The pressure isn’t getting to us. We just have to figure out how to win. We got to get our feet together and get our chemistry right. I think we have the people and the leaders to do that.”