Coach JJ Redick of the Los Angeles Lakers already is wary of Luke Kennard’s most toxic habit: his strange reluctance to shoot the ball.
Most NBA players tend to shoot too often, if anything. After all, by virtue of being in this league, each player is among the top 500 basketball players in the world. It would only make sense for players, particularly offensive-minded players, to be overconfident in the abilities that have earned them generational wealth.
Kennard is a frustrating exception to this rule.
Kennard has quite the resume. He is the active career leader in 3PT percentage; he’s leading the league with a 49.7%(!!!) clip from downtown this season; over the last six seasons, Kennard’s lowest 3PT% is 43.3%. By any metric available, Kennard is objectively one of the hottest shooters in league history and is perhaps the best shooting threat today outside of Stephen Curry.
Of course, as Atlanta Hawks fans know all too well, these numbers don’t quite tell the full story.
Redick has already publicly addressed Kennard’s reluctance
When addressing his new addition at a presser, Redick said he’s "Excited about Luke," following with, "I've known him for 12 years now. I think he's one of the best shooters in the NBA. I'm gonna highly encourage him to shoot more and not turn down shots."
It is exceedingly rare for a head coach’s first comment about a new player to include any negative remarks. While that last sentence may not appear negative on the surface, Redick is simply saving his anger for the big moment.
Luke Kennard – who I remind you is the active leader in 3PT% this season and over his career – shot the 13th most threes per 100 possessions on the Hawks. The only rotation players who shot less frequently from deep are Jalen Johnson, Mo Gueye, Dyson Daniels, and Christian Koloko – all guys who fans grimace when they watch a 3PT attempt from.
Redick knows this reality and is already preparing to solve it. The only issue? Every coach Kennard has played for had the same goal.
Take Quin Snyder, who said before the season began, “I’m really adamant that I want him to be as aggressive shooting the ball as he can be.” Not sold yet? Consider this from Kennard’s Memphis days, “They’ve been on me ever since I got there just to be aggressive and hunt my shot as much as I can.” Every coach Kennard has played for has insisted he shoots more often, yet he still hasn't been willing to let it fly.
Don’t expect Redick to magically solve this problem. Kennard is 29 years old; it seems unreasonable to expect him to instantly rebuild his game and still be an effective player. Instead, expect droves of angry Lakers fans after LA loses a critical game in which Kennard attempts only two threes in 20 minutes.