It only took 18 minutes for Luke Kennard to make Memphis regret letting him walk

The sharpshooter had something to prove in last night's win.
Hawks guard Luke Kennard at 2025 Media Day.
Hawks guard Luke Kennard at 2025 Media Day. | Kevin C. Cox/GettyImages

Atlanta returned to preseason action last night against the Memphis Grizzlies, where they picked up their first win, 122-116. While the outcome of a preseason game does not matter in the grand scheme of things, there was no shortage of intrigue as the new-look Hawks took on the Grizzlies.

These were not the same teams that will be facing off against each other in the regular season, as Memphis was without their star players, Ja Morant and Jaren Jackson Jr.

Still though, plenty was at stake for a certain player who was looking to prove a point. This past offseason, the Memphis Grizzlies made a bold decision by letting guard Luke Kennard walk in free agency. The Atlanta Hawks made note of that and were quick to claim Kennard off the market.

This made all the sense in the world for an Atlanta team that struggled from beyond the arc last season. While being near the top of the league in shot quality for most of the year, they were still in the bottom half of the league in three-point percentage.

General Manager Onsi Saleh had a clear goal in his first summer as the organization's lead decision maker: bring in players who can up that percentage while not forfeiting any of the team's newfound defensive identity.

Luke Kennard is more than just a shooter.

While Kennard has never been the elite perimeter defender that some of Atlanta's other guards are, they made sure that his weakness in that area will not hold the team back by bringing in several other quality defensive players.

It is a near perfect situation for the 29-year-old sharpshooter. Even then, he has got to feel like Memphis should not have been okay with letting him walk that easily.

In two and a half seasons with the Grizzlies, Kennard averaged 10.0 points, 2.9 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game on a remarkable 46.2% from deep. He was a key component to some of their recent success and is now going to carry a similar role for another team with high expectations.

He played 18 minutes last night against his former team and proved why he was deserving of his new contract. Even though he only scored 4 points, the other valuable aspects of his game were on full display, racking up 6 rebounds and 3 assists.

His impact was felt as soon as he checked into the game. The offensive versatility he provides will benefit Atlanta down the road in a major way. Even with the absence of Nickeil Alexander-Walker, the bench unit operated at a high-level, securing the win for the Hawks.

Memphis is going to regret letting Luke Kennard walk. His ability to create in a variety of roles will be missed during their pursuit of a playoff appearance in the stacked Western Conference.

As for the Hawks, they capitalized off of a crucial mistake and it may just be the missing piece to a deep postseason run.