Luke Kennard is poised to be a key piece in the Detroit Pistons season. Here’s how he could craft his game after the legendary Manu Ginobili.
Watching Manu Ginobili flail, flop, jab step, pump fake and weave his way around the Detroit Pistons in the 2005 NBA Finals was frustrating. He seemed slow, awkward even, and had some sort of bald mullet that made him look like Fredo from the Godfather.
Yet, there he was in the lane again. Yet, there he was torching the Pistons for 19 points per game in the NBA Finals, hitting clutch shots while his stringy mullet flowed behind.
I thought, “I hate you Manu Ginobili. I hate your game. I hate that you perfected soccer-style flopping and brought it to the NBA. I hate the fouls you draw. I hate the circus shots you take that somehow always seem to go in. I hate that you’re always getting up off the ground for no reason. I hate your body odor (probably). In short, I hate you. But man, I wish you were on my team.”
My wish may have come true, as the Pistons have their own goofy lefty that may just be the next Ginobili. I won’t go too deep into the comparison between Luke Kennard and Ginobili except to say that they have more in common than being balding white guys who shoot left handed and have a long U in their name.
Like Ginobili, Kennard does not possess blazing speed or impressive size. Like Ginobili, Kennard is a bit awkward, has a sweet shot and can be creative offensively, so Manu is a good model for how Kennard can improve his game.
Enter Man-Luke Kennobili.
Aside from cultivating a fierce mullet, here are four things that Luke Kennard can learn from Manu Ginobili.
1. Be creative with the ball
Ginobili was able to overcome his lack of quickness by being creative with the ball. He kept defenders off balance because they never knew if he was going to drive, pass or shoot. He used jab steps to make space, and often took creative angles with the ball that looked more like he was running around a soccer pitch than a basketball court.
He lured defenders to sleep by holding the ball and then firing up a shot unexpectedly or throwing a no-look pass to a teammate cutting off the ball. He was unpredictable and frustrating.
Ginobili had a bag of tricks and he used them all. He was crafty and smart, which is exactly what Kennard needs to be to make up for his lack of athleticism.
Kennard did flash this sort of creativity at times, especially in the playoffs, where he was more aggressive with the ball. Kennard needs to be less predictable, more creative. He needs to be a better playmaker, to burn defenders who play too close or too far off.
He needs to become a better passer, to get closer to Ginobili’s career average of 3.8 assists per game, which is double Kennard’s. He needs to develop his own bag of tricks, to be more cerebral, to be more like another famous Luke.
2. Become a Jedi
Obi-Wan Ginobili utilized one of the most devastating pump fakes in NBA history. It was slow, and everyone knew it was coming but it still worked just about every time. He was like a Jedi saying “you will jump in the air now” and they generally obliged, “yes I will jump in the air now.”
Manu got defenders off their feet and then either leaned in and drew a foul or simply blew by them. I still have visions of the faces of defenders as they realized that they’d just been pump-faked out of their shoes and there was nothing they could do about it.
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Manu’s slow-motion pump fake was like a steak that the dog couldn’t resist. Kennard needs to develop a similar move to make up for the fact that he’s not that fast. He needs to develop a pump fake to draw more fouls and to get defenders in the air so he can drive past them or take a step to the side for an open three.
The pump fake is a way to punish defenders for closing out recklessly, which is something they did against Kennard all last season. Defenders were not worried about Kennard blowing by them, so they closed out hard, often forcing Luke into passing up shots. A pump fake would keep them honest and make defenders hesitate just long enough for Luke to get off a shot.
Space is hard to come by in the NBA. Kennard needs to create more with pump fakes, jab steps and anything else he can do to confuse opponents and keep them off balance.
He needs to be a Jedi.
3. Move without the ball
Ginobili was very good at sneaking around the three-point line, using picks and getting lost behind the defense. Blake Griffin is going to draw double teams and is a good passer (just like Tim Duncan), which should mean lots of open looks for Kennard if he moves without the ball and finds the open spots.
Last season, the pair of Griffin-Kennard had a net rating of (-2), which was second worst on the team.
One of the problems with the Kennard-Griffin combination is that Kennard did not move enough without the ball. He was often standing on the weak side watching Griffin post up, being more of spectator than anything.
Kennard reminded me of “Chubby” from “Teen Wolf”, nonchalantly eating an apple whilst the wolf did all the work. The offense was stagnant and predictable, especially late in the season.
If the Pistons want to take the next step offensively they need more motion off the ball, crisper passing and less predictable plays. This starts with Kennard moving off the ball, being better at using screens and not just standing around as a spectator to Teen Wolf Blake.
Like Ginobili, Kennard is an above average 3-point shooter, but unlike Ginobili, he does not move well without the ball, which is something he can learn from Manu.
4. Use body to draw contact
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Ginobili was a master of getting himself in the lane, then using his body to fend off the opponent and draw contact. He would twist and contort, flail and flop, but always keep his shoulders square to the hoop and his body between his opponent and the ball. It was infuriating to watch at times, but an effective way to get free points at the line.
While Kennard shot 84 percent from the free throw line last season, it was on only one attempt per game. That number needs to go way up.
Ideally Kennard will use more dribble penetration to get himself in a position to draw fouls. Like Ginobili, he needs to jab step and pump fake to keep opponents off balance, then lean in to draw fouls. This would also force defenders to play off him a little more, opening up his jumper and making the pump fake more effective.
While I don’t expect Luke Kennard to become an All -Star overnight, he must make a big jump if the Pistons are going to contend in the Eastern Conference this year and moving forward. He needs to get a couple hundred hours of footage of Manu Ginobili to learn some of his tricks, to be more creative on and off the ball.
This is the year Kennard must be a consistent offensive threat or he’ll be just another lefty who is starting to lose his hair.