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Pistons’ Luke Kennard named best shooter in rookie survey

By Duncan Smith

GREENBURGH, NY - AUGUST 11: (EDITOR'S NOTE: THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN CONVERTED TO BLACK AND WHITE) Luke Kennard of the Detroit Pistons poses for a portrait during the 2017 NBA Rookie Photo Shoot at MSG Training Center on August 11, 2017 in Greenburgh, New York. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
GREENBURGH, NY - AUGUST 11: (EDITOR'S NOTE: THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN CONVERTED TO BLACK AND WHITE) Luke Kennard of the Detroit Pistons poses for a portrait during the 2017 NBA Rookie Photo Shoot at MSG Training Center on August 11, 2017 in Greenburgh, New York. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images) /
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Detroit Pistons rookie Luke Kennard was named the best shooter by a wide margin in this year’s class in the NBA’s annual rookie survey.

The rookies of the 2017 draft class participated in the NBA’s annual rookie survey earlier this month at the New York Knicks’ practice facility. They were asked a series of questions about their fellow classmates. Detroit Pistons’ rookie Luke Kennard fared well in questions related to his specialty: shooting.

Kennard lapped the field among rookies asked: “Which rookie is the best shooter?” He received 48.6 percent of votes, and Malik Monk came in a distant second with 13.5 percent.

Kennard was certainly a worthy recipient after hitting 43.8 percent of his threes last year at Duke on 6.1 attempts per game, but he wasn’t the best shooter in the draft. That recognition belongs to Frank Mason who hit 47.1 percent of his 4.8 threes per game. Typically this question goes to the player with the best three-point percentage, but this year was an aberration.

Last season Buddy Hield took the shooters’ honors with 65.7 percent of the vote, in an admittedly thinner draft. Hield hit 45.7 percent of his threes in his final season at Oklahoma, and turned out to have a pretty good shooting season as a rookie as well, hitting 39.1 percent of his threes last year.

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Kennard also garnered one more reference in the survey, getting one vote in the question “Which rookie will have the best career”. For what it’s worth, Lonzo Ball of the Los Angeles Lakers and Jayson Tatum of the Boston Celtics tied at the top of this poll, both with 18.6 percent of the vote.