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.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The Pistons drafted Kennard way back in 2017, famously\u00a0one pick ahead of Donovan Mitchell in one of their worst draft flubs since the Darko<\/a> debacle.\u00a0<\/p>\n 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\u00a0don\u2019t\u00a0let your coach make personnel decisions.\u00a0<\/p>\n Mitchell has since gone on to become an All-NBA superstar, while Kennard has been on four different teams since leaving Detroit.\u00a0<\/p>\n He\u2019s\u00a0rapidly making himself into an LA folk hero now, so what has changed?\u00a0<\/p>\n Luke Kennard is finally healthy\u00a0<\/p>\n Kennard only played\u00a0in 164 games over three seasons for Detroit and was never able to blossom into the efficient shooting machine\u00a0we\u2019ve\u00a0seen recently.\u00a0<\/p>\n Since leaving Detroit, Kennard only\u00a0played\u00a065 games or more twice before this season, when he\u00a0played in\u00a078 games between the Hawks and Lakers, most of his career.\u00a0<\/p>\n For the third time in his career, Kennard led the NBA in 3-point\u00a0percentage,\u00a0and I think at\u00a0this\u00a0point he is in the running for greatest NBA shooter of all time, as\u00a0he\u2019s\u00a0averaged 44.2 percent for his career.\u00a0<\/p>\n 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.\u00a0<\/p>\n To Stan Van Gundy\u2019s 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.\u00a0<\/p>\n Unfortunately,\u00a0we never got that guy in Detroit because of injuries and poor roster construction, but he may be a guy the\u00a0Pistons\u00a0look to bring back<\/a> this summer, especially if he continues to show out in the playoffs flanking a 41-year-old LeBron.\u00a0<\/p>\n I hate the Lakers, but I\u00a0have to\u00a0admit 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\u00a0Rui Hachimura in it to go along with the oldest player in the league.<\/p>\n Even Bronny James has played in both games, so the Lakers are\u00a0bucking\u00a0some serious odds here.\u00a0<\/p>\n Luke Kennard has been at the heart of\u00a0it,\u00a0and I am happy for\u00a0him but\u00a0would have loved to have seen in in Detroit instead.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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