Who needs Luka when you have Luke?
Luke Kennard had his second big playoff game to help the Lakers to a 2-0 mark against the Rockets after LA had all but been written off before the series because of the absence of Luka Doncic.
Kennard dropped another efficient 23 points last night, as the Lakers claimed another unlikely victory against a Houston team that has been slowly falling apart over recent weeks.
The Pistons drafted Kennard way back in 2017, famously one pick ahead of Donovan Mitchell in one of their worst draft flubs since the Darko debacle.
Kennard was a certified bucket coming out of college and head coach/GM Stan Van Gundy needed a shooter, so went for need over talent, which is why you don’t let your coach make personnel decisions.
Mitchell has since gone on to become an All-NBA superstar, while Kennard has been on four different teams since leaving Detroit.
He’s rapidly making himself into an LA folk hero now, so what has changed?
Luke Kennard is finally healthy
Kennard only played in 164 games over three seasons for Detroit and was never able to blossom into the efficient shooting machine we’ve seen recently.
Since leaving Detroit, Kennard only played 65 games or more twice before this season, when he played in 78 games between the Hawks and Lakers, most of his career.
For the third time in his career, Kennard led the NBA in 3-point percentage, and I think at this point he is in the running for greatest NBA shooter of all time, as he’s averaged 44.2 percent for his career.
If we are being honest, Kennard is now providing exactly what the Pistons need, which is a guy who can spread the floor and create off the bounce, things he never really got a chance to show in those first three years with the Pistons, as he only played 28 games in his best year for Detroit.
To Stan Van Gundy’s credit, this was the Kennard he was envisioning when he drafted him, a guy who can score efficiently and creatively without constantly needing the ball in his hands.
Unfortunately, we never got that guy in Detroit because of injuries and poor roster construction, but he may be a guy the Pistons look to bring back this summer, especially if he continues to show out in the playoffs flanking a 41-year-old LeBron.
I hate the Lakers, but I have to admit they are one of the best stories right now, as they have gone up 2-0 without their best player with a starting lineup that has Deandre Ayton, Luke Kennard, Marcus Smart and Rui Hachimura in it to go along with the oldest player in the league.
Even Bronny James has played in both games, so the Lakers are bucking some serious odds here.
Luke Kennard has been at the heart of it, and I am happy for him but would have loved to have seen in in Detroit instead.
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