LOS ANGELES – With the Los Angeles Lakers taking on the Golden State Warriors in a primetime matchup on Saturday, new acquisition Luke Kennard was available to make his team debut. The Lakers acquired Kennard at the trade deadline in a deal with the Atlanta Hawks in exchange for Gabe Vincent and a second-round pick.
Prior to the Lakers’ game against the Warriors, head coach JJ Redick spoke about what his initial plans for using Luke Kennard were amid no practice time.
“We feel like we’re in a good spot,” Redick said. “It’s not gonna be perfect, but the two couple of words that he knows, we’ll be good with. We’ll keep it simple for him when he’s out there.”
New Lakers guard Luke Kennard getting in pregame work with Lindsey Harding. pic.twitter.com/h5TWvj0l3B
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While Kennard is known for his 3-point shooting; he’s leading the league at 49.7 percent, Redick was equally excited to use him as an on-ball threat and another capable playmaker.
“I think one of the underrated parts of him, he’s been in the half court like kind of an initiator of action if that makes sense. . .playing out of Ear where he gets that single little Iverson cut into a drive or into a side pick and roll, you play him off-ball obviously to initiate action,” Redick said. “But he’s able to just consistently make the right play, and because of that, the ball movement thing, he could be a guy that starts your offense in some ways.”
On the Lakers’ depth chart, Kennard would appear to be the first guard off the bench when the team returns to their normal lineup. Austin Reaves is presently coming off the bench amid a minutes restriction as he continues to work his way back from a calf injury.
Kennard signed as a free agent with the Hawks this past offseason after about two and a half years with the Memphis Grizzlies. He had appeared in 46 games at a little over 20 minutes per game. Kennard was averaging 7.9 points, 2.2 rebounds and 2.1 assists with splits of 53.8 percent shooting from the field, 49.7 percent shooting from the 3-point line and 91.4 percent shooting from the free-throw line.
The No. 12 overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft, Kennard is in his ninth season in the league. He began his career with the Detroit Pistons where he played for three seasons before being traded to the LA Clippers.
