Luke Kennard said on Mar. 10 that he is enjoying the open looks he is getting since joining the Los Angeles Lakers. Kennard, who was acquired at the trade deadline, has averaged 10.4 points per game while shooting 59.8% from the field and 51.1% from three-point range in his first 14 games with the team.
Kennard attributed his success to playing alongside elite playmakers such as Luka Doncic, LeBron James, and Austin Reaves. He said these teammates have helped create more opportunities for him on offense. “For sure. There’s players in the league you go up against where it’s like, damn, it’s pretty special what they can do,” Kennard said. “Just playing against Luka, I’ve played against him for a while now and in the playoffs, you see how open guys have been from the 3-point line, especially in his time in Dallas when I played against him with the Clippers. He just generates so much activity for us and open looks. It’s definitely something you think about like, ‘Man, I wish that was me there getting those open looks.’ But now, it’s a reality and it’s been great.”
Kennard also said that his expectations have been exceeded since joining the Lakers: “Yeah. Even more,” he said. “It’s like, when you’re around him every day, you’re seeing what he’s doing. Obviously when I wasn’t on his team, you still see what they do and what they can do, and then you see it when you play against him. But now, every day it’s pretty special being a part of it. Yeah, it’s been more than what I expected. For sure.” So far this season between stints with both the Lakers and Atlanta Hawks, Kennard is shooting 50% from three-point range over 60 games.
When asked about maintaining this high percentage throughout an entire season, Kennard responded: “I think it’ll kind of even out at the end of the day, but it would be really cool if that happened,” he said. “But at the same time, it’s just trying to get attempts and just being aggressive in that aspect. Whatever happens, happens.”
Lakers head coach JJ Redick praised Kennard’s overall contributions beyond shooting ability: “I thought he was a really good shooter at Duke,” Redick said. “He’s developed into an elite shooter and really just a fantastic playmaker. And I think the gravity of his shot, both from a spacing standpoint and from a blender standpoint, so the overreaction to the threat of his shot when he gets the ball just allows him to touch the paint for us, allows him to get the blender started.”
