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Should Luke Kennard return for the Detroit Pistons this season?

By Nicolas Henkel

WASHINGTON, DC - NOVEMBER 04: Luke Kennard #5 of the Detroit Pistons looks on against the Washington Wizards during the first half at Capital One Arena on November 4, 2019 in Washington, DC. 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 Will Newton/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC - NOVEMBER 04: Luke Kennard #5 of the Detroit Pistons looks on against the Washington Wizards during the first half at Capital One Arena on November 4, 2019 in Washington, DC. 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 Will Newton/Getty Images) /
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Luke Kennard has spent a majority of the season sidelined due to injury for the Detroit Pistons. Should he attempt a return?

On December 26th the Detroit Pistons announced that Luke Kennard would miss the following two weeks due to bilateral knee tendinitis. He was set to be re-evaluated on January 7th.

We’ve now entered March and there’s still no telling when exactly he could make his return to the lineup. It was reported by Rod Beard of The Detroit News that a potential return could be slated for next week at the earliest.

Pistons fans may have already forgotten that Kennard had begun to have a breakout year before the injury derailed his season. Scoring 15.8 points per game on 44.2 percent shooting.

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He had slowly begun to see an increased and more involved role on offense. His shot selection was far less tentative than it had been in years prior.

His shooting ability is what is most frequently noted by NBA analysts, and teams had caught on to it. They begun to scheme their defenses in ways that specifically disallowed Kennard to get open looks at the basket.

This however proved to be ineffective, as all it wound up doing is opened up his abilities as a play maker and a facilitator.

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With the season going the way it has for Detroit, there isn’t really too much incentive for Kennard to return to the lineup. The Pistons would likely continue to lose games which, at this point, is unfortunately for the best.

In the event that he were to re-aggravate his injury, the implications could range from not too serious, to a potential surgery that could sideline him well into next season. The latter is un-optimal for obvious reasons.

Detroit has been rolling out their younger players on a more consistent basis given the circumstances, and while it would certainly be refreshing to see Kennard back out on the floor, it just doesn’t make much sense.

It’s better to get those aforementioned young guys the run that they need in order to properly develop.

The Pistons have constructed their roster in a way where their success his heavily contingent on the health of players like Blake Griffin, Derrick Rose, and Kennard. The unfortunate reality is that all three of those players (Luke can now be included) have lingering knee issues.

This has been the fatal flaw of Detroit’s roster and they have paid dearly for it this season.

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Again, for selfish reasons, fans would love to see Kennard back out on the court. Unfortunately it just may not make much basketball sense.

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