No matter how many different variations the league goes through, shooting will always be at premium value. The Lakers, who sat 21st in the league in 3-point shooting and 23rd in overall makes on the morning of the trade deadline, went and targeted sharpshooter Luke Kennard. They moved veteran guard Gabe Vincent and their final tradeable second round pick to the Hawks to complete the trade.
The Duke product doesn’t fix any defensive issues, but does bring a level of elite shooting, gravity and underrated handle with a playmaking punch the team has sorely missed in the absence of their complete big three.
Kennard came to LA averaging eight points and two assists on a league-leading 49.7% shooting from 3-point range. He adds in 91.4% shooting from the line, immediately leading the team.
There are levels to everything, with shooting no different. Kennard has an argument for the best pure shooter to ever put on the purple and gold. He’s knocked down 44% of his shots behind the arc in his nine-year career, ranking second all-time.
It’s an archetype head coach J.J. Redick has been searching for and has been unable to fill with Dalton Knecht attempting to fill those shoes this season.
It took no time for Kennard to show the Laker crowd what he can do in his debut. Within about two minutes after checking in, he caught a floating cross-court pass on the move from Austin Reaves at the wing and flung in a triple.
“I was definitely hunting a shot trying to get one up,” Kennard said postgame. “I mean, I looked at my first shot and it was crazy high but it felt good when it left my hands. Again, for me, it’s no matter where I’m at. Obviously I’m here, and they want me to be aggressive and shoot the ball, but whenever I’m checking in the game I’m looking to hunt threes and get them up.”
Kennard finished the game with 10 points on 2-4 shooting from three, but his impact was felt far beyond the box score.
In the third quarter, LA ran a popularized “Hammer” action for Kennard to get a look in the corner. Watch below as Austin Reaves drives and kicks it out while Maxi Kleber sets the Hammer screen.
Kennard scored 1.25 points per possession off of screen actions this season, putting him in the 81st percentile, per NBA stats.
Gravity is a term thrown around for the best shooters, and Kennard comes in with as respectable an amount as anyone league-wide. Opponents not only close out at him, but completely sell themselves out to take him off the 3-point line.
Watch below as, in transition, two Warrior defenders run to chase him off the corner in transition, completely ignoring Jared Vanderbilt all by himself underneath the basket for the dunk.
Without the services of Luka Dončić, who is dealing with a left hamstring strain, LA put Kennard on the ball. He comes in with the label as just a shooter, but showed off why he has an underrated handle, playmaking and an understanding of the game.
Watch in the clip below as he runs a pick and roll with LeBron James, reads the overplay to attack a closeout, and hits an on-the-money skip pass to Jake LaRaria wide open in the corner
“He’s not a guy you’re gonna like give the ball to an ISO and then he’s gonna bend the defense,” Redick said. “But he’s a smart basketball player and he knows how to play and he knows how to make reads. The way his 0.5 [second] mentality works is, he doesn’t always get the assists, but generally speaking, he’s going to attack a closeout, he’s going to get a shot fake and then swing the ball and that leads to something good”
The Lakers hope that something good continues for the rest of the season. LA has acquired shooters in the past who have seen their percentages drop precipitously under the bright lights of Crypto.com Arena.
A familiar question that has followed Kennard around is his shot volume, as he’s taking the fewest shots per game of his career since his rookie season.
But he doesn’t see it that way.
“I think for me, not saying it’s not playing the right way, but I like to try and make the right play all the time,” Kennard said. “I feel like I know the game of basketball very well. I will shoot it. I will be aggressive. I know that’s what they want me to do.
“Just having conversations with the guys, I’m excited to do that, but at the same time, just being a basketball player. Having high IQ. Going out there if I have a shot I’ll take it. When a pass is available, just making the right play.”
You can follow Raj on Twitter at @RajChipalu