After eight years of NBA service, Luke Kennard has the best chance of his career to prove his value as a piece on a team with deep playoff aspirations.
Bill Simmons of The Ringer is bullish on the Atlanta Hawks and Kennard this year, taking the over on total wins this season and referencing the 29-year-old sharpshooter as one of his favorite players. He explained that he was happy for Kennard to end up in Atlanta as he "always wanted Luke Kennard to be on one good team. I always felt like on the right situation, he could be a really good rotation guy.”
While Kennard has been on good teams in the past, namely the 2020-22 Clippers, the situation was never right. He was still developing during his first year in Los Angeles, failing to crack 15 minutes a night in the postseason. The Clippers would fail to make the following playoffs, and Kennard would be traded to Memphis. Despite the fact that Memphis held the second seed in the West, the team was never a serious playoff threat.
Kennard finally finds himself with a significant role on a team with playoff dreams beyond the first round. As perhaps the most dangerous shooting threat in the league after Steph Curry, Kennard will weaponize Atlanta’s offense simply by being on the floor.
Kennard’s impact will fuel the Hawks' offense
Kennard is one of the best shooters in the league, holding the active career three point percentage record on high volume and difficult attempts. He has averaged a scorching 45.4% from three on 4.8 attempts a night over the past five seasons, peaking at an absurd 49.4% in the 2022-23 season.
Unlike many of his sharpshooting peers, Kennard’s offensive impact stretches beyond just the threat of his shot. In Memphis, he and former teammate Scotty Pippen Jr. were trusted to fill the bench point guard role after longtime backup Tyus Jones left in free agency. Kennard thrived in this role, using the threat of his shot to create easy driving lanes. While he’s not a particularly strong finisher, Kennard capitalized on the drive by locating the open man on the perimeter.
It’s not all positive with Kennard, who is a clear defensive liability. This makes his fit with Trae Young a challenge in the regular season and untenable in the postseason. Still, with Kennard acting as Young’s backup in the rotation, Atlanta will have one of the most talented benches in the league, headlined by Kennard, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, and Onyeka Okongwu.
Kennard’s presence was needed in Atlanta, as the team desperately lacked shooting and bench creation last season. Entering another contract year after signing a one-year deal, Kennard finally has his chance to prove he’s a winning player before getting the final big paycheck of his career.