Now that Trae Young is back in the lineup, the Atlanta Hawks no longer have room for Luke Kennard in the rotation.
The Hawks came into the season with a clear eight-man rotation, which included Young and Kennard but not Vit Krejci. Injuries, however, gave Krejci an opportunity to thrive on a Hawks team desperate for spacing. He is shooting 46.2% from deep on 5.5 attempts a game while being a real playmaking threat who can convert the threat of his shooting into a drive-and-kick chain. His defense isn’t outstanding, but Krejci clearly deserves a regular rotation spot for his offensive output.
This leaves the Hawks with three subpar defenders in their lineup: Young, Kennard, and Krejci. In Young’s return against the Charlotte Hornets, we saw firsthand just how disastrous a lineup containing three negative defenders can be.
The Hornets did not miss a shot at the rim in the first half (10/10). While hot three-point shooting saved the day for Charlotte, the Hawks will not be a competitive team with such a porous defense, particularly if they cannot rely on Kristaps Porzingis on a nightly basis.
The decision between Krejci and Kennard has already been made
Krejci is clearly the best defender of the three, and I wouldn’t describe him as a bad defender. Paul George made the mistake of viewing him as an easy target in an isolation to win the game and was locked down. Still, he can be exploited by dynamic on-ball threats. Young moves better than Kennard when engaged, but the latter has a major height and weight advantage.
Playing all three of these weak defenders in the rotation essentially requires playing two at a time all game, which is a recipe for an underwhelming defense and record.
Unless the Hawks trade for Giannis Antetokounmpo, Young can be expected to remain in Atlanta. This means they must choose between Kennard and Krejci – but they’ve already decided.
Krejci has officially surpassed Kennard in the rotation, averaging more minutes per game (23.8) than Kennard (20.2) despite starting the season with a DNP-CD. When you only look at the past month, Krejci’s 25.0 mpg is 40.0% higher than Kennard’s paltry 17.9 average.
Krejci’s play supports his promotion. Kennard’s greatest asset to the team is his sharpshooting, but Pistol Vit is shooting 47% more threes per 100 possessions at a higher clip. If Krejci is a real sharpshooting threat, his edge as a defender and playmaker makes him the obvious choice.
The decision becomes clear as day when you consider each player’s contract. Kennard is on an $11 million expiring contract, while Krejci is on the second year of an unbelievably cheap four-year, $10 million deal.
Kennard’s expiring contract is an excellent trade asset. Any team would benefit from having a shooter in the short term, but would suffer no long-term consequences from acquiring him. Perhaps the Hawks can attach Kennard to a multi-team trade and earn an intriguing young player or modest draft capital for their part in making the deal financially feasible.