The Detroit Pistons, in this year's draft with their first round pick, selected former standout Duke guard Luke Kennard.
Since then, Kennard has made a strong impression on his new team as head coach Stan Van Gundy recently voiced that the 21-year-old has been everything that they anticipated him being, according to Keith Langlois of Pistons.com.
“Pretty much what we thought offensively, maybe even did a better job passing the ball than I thought,” Van Gundy said. “He’s able to make plays off the dribble, that nice change of pace, and things I hadn’t seen a lot of. He really has a great feel for the game and how to play in addition to clearly his ability to shoot the ball.”
In his two seasons at Duke, Kennard proved to be quite a capable scorer and is coming off a strong sophomore year where he averaged 19.5 points while hitting 43.8 percent from 3-point range. He displayed the ability to create his own shot that is also an effective shooter from beyond the arc.
Kennard will have an opportunity to latch onto a significant role in his first campaign, especially with the departure of Kentavious Caldwell-Pope in free agency to the Los Angeles Lakers. He can help shoulder the offensive load in the backcourt alongside veteran guard Reggie Jackson.
If Kennard is already showing this much promise at this point in the offseason, it could lead to a strong rookie year that could see him in the running for the Rookie of the Year award this upcoming season.
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