Detroit Pistons rookie Luke Kennard has performed really well considering his role and the expectations most had for him coming into the season. With what he has shown so far, I wonder what could become of Kennard in an increased role on the team.
When the Detroit Pistons took Luke Kennard over Donovan Mitchell, many were upset.
Myself included.
Here was my draft profile take on the debate:
"That leaves us with a very important question, who should the Pistons grab with the 12th overall pick, assuming both players are available (Kennard and Mitchell)?My take? It’s Donovan Mitchell, and it really isn’t close.The Pistons need a player with Mitchell’s upside on the roster, and with Reggie Jackson’s health in question, and not much depth behind Kentavious Caldwell-Pope at shooing guard, Mitchell looks to be a player that could compete right away and potentially develop into a strong guard.While I think Kennard has a defined role in the NBA as well, I see Mitchell as a late lottery sleeper who could be an extremely high performer."
Sigh….
The Pistons and its fan base have been desperate for a star for years now and it looks like they may have just passed up on a golden opportunity to get one.
While Kennard and Mitchell are two very different players, and thus contribute in very different ways, I want everyone to have some perspective on the play of each player.
First, the Utah Jazz are a game under .500 at 13-14, whereas the Pistons are three games over .500 at 14-11.
One team likely will be a top-four seed in its conference, which will net home court advantage in the playoffs and the other team will be fighting (at best) for a playoff seed.
My point? The Jazz and Pistons are two very different teams, as different as Kennard and Mitchell are as players, and thus, the needs, reliance, and usage of the rookies has been very different.
If Kennard was getting 30 minutes a game getting to take 15 shots versus his 16 minutes and 5.5 shots per game, I wonder how different this narrative would be?
This leads me to my next point.
We’ve seen how good Mitchell is in a larger role, and however good Mitchell has been, Kennard’s been a hair more efficient. We are talking shooting splits of 42.7/40.4 for Kennard, against 41.0/37.4 for Mitchell.
I think the Pistons would be wise to get Kennard going by running more plays for him, or allowing him to be more of a facilitator, which is an area he has shown he can be very capable.
If I was able to make the draft decision last offseason, I would have taken Donovan Mitchell, though Kennard really has outpaced my expectations for him.
All that to say, I am not ready to say that Stan Van Gundy made a mistake in selecting Kennard.
Next: How concerned should Detroit Pistons be amidst losing streak?
I think if Van Gundy unleashed Kennard, that he could take the second unit (and the team) to greater heights, which is saying something because the team is already a strong playoff contender.