How Detroit Pistons’ Kennard compares to Thompson and Booker
Scouting and statistical comparisons, combine measurables, and conclusion
Notice any similarities between these three guards?
I’ll summarize them for you:
Shared strengths: Shooting stroke, feel for the game, size, court vision
Shared weaknesses: Lack of athleticism, foot foot speed, playing below the rim.
There are some differences. Notably, Thompson has more size and length than Kennard and Booker, which you can see in the below combine results. Moreover, Thompson is the far superior going into the NBA, while both Booker and Kennard were expected to struggle.
Another key difference is Kennard is more of a play-maker coming out of college than either Thompson or Booker, and displayed more ability to become a combo guard. He was also much better at getting to the line than either player, shot a higher free throw percentage, three-point percentage, most productive, and has the highest true shooting percentage, which you can see in the advanced stats.
Combine numbers (*Editors note: Kennard’s vertical was reported from his Duke pro day).
| Player | Age | Combine year | W/O Shoes | W/ Shoes | Weight | Wingspan | Standing Reach | No step Vert | Max Vert |
| Luke Kennard | 20 | 2017 | 6’4 1/2″ | 6’5 1/2″ | 196 | 6’5 1/4″ | 8’2 1/2″ | N/A | 38.5″ |
| Klay Thompson | 21 | 2011 | 6’5 3/4″ | 6’7 1/4″ | 206 | 6’9″ | 8’7 1/2″ | 26.5″ | 31.5″ |
| Devin Booker | 18 | 2015 | 6’4 1/2″ | 6’5 3/4″ | 206 | 6’6 1/4″ | 8’4″ | 27′.5″ | 34.5″ |
Reg stats
| Player | MP | FG | FGA | FG% | 2P | 2PA | 2P% | 3P | 3PA | 3P% | FT | FTA | FT% | TRB | AST | STL | TOV | PTS |
| Luke Kennard | 35.5 | 6.4 | 13.1 | 49 | 4 | 7.6 | 52.7 | 2.4 | 5.4 | 43.8 | 4.3 | 5.1 | 85.6 | 5.1 | 2.5 | 0.8 | 1.6 | 19.5 |
| Klay Thompson | 35.4 | 6.5 | 15.6 | 41.2 | 4 | 8.9 | 44.9 | 2.5 | 6.7 | 36.4 | 4.3 | 5.4 | 80.1 | 5.1 | 2.3 | 1.4 | 3.4 | 19.6 |
| Devin Booker | 21.5 | 3.6 | 7.6 | 47 | 2 | 3.8 | 52.7 | 1.5 | 3.7 | 41.1 | 1.4 | 1.7 | 82.8 | 2 | 1.1 | 0.4 | 1 | 10 |
Per 40
| PER 40 | ||||||||||||||||
| Player | FG | FGA | 2P | 2PA | 3P | 3PA | FT | FTA | TRB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | PF | PTS | |
| Luke Kennard | 7.2 | 14.7 | 4.5 | 8.6 | 2.7 | 6.1 | 4.9 | 5.7 | 5.7 | 2.8 | 0.9 | 0.4 | 1.8 | 2.5 | 22 | |
| Klay Thompson | 7.3 | 17.7 | 4.5 | 10.1 | 2.8 | 7.6 | 4.9 | 6.1 | 5.8 | 2.6 | 1.6 | 0.8 | 3.8 | 2.7 | 22.2 | |
| Devin Booker | 6.6 | 14.1 | 3.8 | 7.2 | 2.8 | 6.9 | 2.6 | 3.1 | 3.7 | 2.1 | 0.8 | 0.1 | 1.8 | 2.8 | 18.7 |
Advanced
| Advanced | ||||||||||||||||
| Player | PER | TS% | eFG% | 3PAr | FTr | PProd | TRB% | AST% | STL% | BLK% | TOV% | USG% | WS | WS/40 | BPM | |
| Luke Kennard | 24.4 | 63 | 58.1 | 41.5 | 38.6 | 673 | 8.2 | 13.6 | 1.3 | 0.9 | 9.3 | 24 | 7.2 | 0.218 | 9.5 | |
| Klay Thompson | 21 | 54 | 49.1 | 43.1 | 34.2 | 556 | 8.8 | 15.4 | 2.4 | 2.3 | 15.6 | 31 | 3.6 | 0.133 | ||
| Devin Booker | 19.4 | 60 | 57.1 | 49.1 | 22.3 | 324 | 5.4 | 10.9 | 1.3 | 0.3 | 10.4 | 22.8 | 4.5 | 0.219 | 8.9 |
What do the stats tell us? That Kennard is the most superior player coming out of college.
How about the scouting report?
This is more subjective, but the report seems to indictate that Kennard is the best offensive player coming out of college. It also suggests that Thompson was the most complete player, because of his two-way ability, and that Booker has the most upside due to his similar stats at two to three years younger than Thompson or Kennard heading into the NBA.
But what does this all mean? Can we determine other conclusions based off of the material?
We can, and that is that these three players share enough similarities in physical metrics, skills, and efficiency to be able to say they should have similar trajectories.
Of course, talent is not the only determining factor in trajectory. Fit, scheme, coaching, injuries, and work ethic all play a part in what happens moving forward, and Booker and Thompson are key players on their respective teams.
Next: Luke Kennard is not another Kyle Singler
If Kennard found himself in a similar situation, which he likely will not in Detroit, he could have a similar career arc to Thompson and Booker. Either way, Detroit Pistons fans should be encouraged by these findings, as the historical comparisons have fared favorably in the NBA thus far.
After watching extensive film on these three players, I do not see a considerable difference between any of these three prospects. In fact, I believe Kennard to be the best offensive player of the three prospects with superior passing, shot making, passing and IQ.
The weaknesses of these three players are also nearly identical when watching the film, with the exception of Thompson defensively.