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Detroit Pistons: Spotlight soon shining on Luke Kennard

By Steven Bryant

LAS VEGAS, NV - JULY 6: Luke Kennard #5, and Andre Drummond #0 of the Detroit Pistons attend the game between the Detroit Pistons and the Portland Trail Blazers during Day 2 of the 2019 Las Vegas Summer League on July 6, 2019 at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. 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. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2019 NBAE (Photo by Bart Young/NBAE via Getty Images)
LAS VEGAS, NV - JULY 6: Luke Kennard #5, and Andre Drummond #0 of the Detroit Pistons attend the game between the Detroit Pistons and the Portland Trail Blazers during Day 2 of the 2019 Las Vegas Summer League on July 6, 2019 at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. 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. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2019 NBAE (Photo by Bart Young/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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Luke Kennard has shown his all around potential for the Detroit Pistons. during the NBA Playoffs versus the Milwaukee Bucks. The spotlight will soon shine on Kennard.

I don’t think I’m alone in thinking “Aw, man” when the Detroit Pistons drafted Luke Kennard over Donovan Mitchell at the #12 draft position. I don’t think I’m alone in thinking “Aw, man” when Mitchell finished second in Rookie of the Year voting to sophomore Ben Simmons. I personally didn’t give Kennard any breaks because I was paranoid he’d be Kyle Singler all over again. And I was disappointed he wasn’t the electrifying youngster that is Mitchell. However, that all changed rather quickly.

Other than Blake Griffin, who tried to hobble through the Pistons’ playoff series against the Milwaukee Bucks, Kennard is the only player that seemed to want it in the postseason. He was the best player on the team during the short playoff stint. He averaged nearly 15 points on shooting splits of .48/.60/.83.

The Pistons may have gotten swept, but Kennard showed a new side of his character. It’s never easy when your best player sits out and your team is getting beaten almost effortlessly, but he didn’t back down.

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In just his second season and his first look at postseason basketball, Kennard proved my opinion wrong. In just two seasons in the NBA, Kennard is a career .44/.41/.83 shooter and has shown that he has the ability to create his own shots. That’ll be important in the upcoming season. During his two years, Kennard has had the chance to play alongside Tobias Harris, Reggie Bullock, Wayne Ellington, and Anthony Tolliver.

Why does this matter? Because entering the 2019-2020 season, Kennard is one of the very few players on the roster that can become a reliable shooter at a high volume. Whether it’s corner three’s or shooting off the dribble, Kennard should get the green light in most scenarios.

Why the Kennard love? The Pistons have struggled with having shooters for quite a few years. As an organization, they have to build around their cornerstone pieces, and when the cornerstone piece has been Andre Drummond for the last five-plus years, they really need to add shooters. What have the Pistons not really done? Add shooters to their roster. Yeah, they had Reggie Bullock before they traded him away and Tobias Harris before they traded him away.

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Kennard is finally a shooter that the team has been wanting and needing for quite some time. A player that can eventually take an efficient 14-17 shots-per-game. He may still be quite young and raw when it comes to playing in the NBA, he’s only 23 years old. But there’s a sort of resounding impact that his playoff performance has had on me and his future with the team. He played big minutes and showed up in a playoff series that was over before the tip-off of game 1 (that’s not a slight at the team, but when your playmaker and superstar doesn’t play, it’s hard to overcome that when playing against a team of shooters and the eventual MVP).

Also to be noted, Kennard is still coming off the bench and playing just 22 minutes-per-game. I’m no expert, obviously, but playing 33 minutes in the playoffs should be a good indicator that head coach Dwane Casey sees the potential in Kennard (again, obviously,) and his minutes should spike entering his third season.

Now, I’m not saying Kennard is the next Klay Thompson or Bradley Beal when it comes to shooting guards, but I don’t think an eventual Buddy Hield or J.J. Redick comparison is too far out there. He’s got the potential and increased playing time will only make him better. He might not become a five-time MVP but he could be a very great shooter.

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Buy all of your Luke Kennard stock and hope that the team doesn’t trade him like the shooters before him.

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