My NCAA Sophomore Crush: Luke Kennard
With the offseason in full swing Upside & Motor is slated to bring you our NCAA Sophomore Crushes all throughout the month of August. Our partners in crime Hardwood Paroxysm are doing the same, but for the NBA. Make sure to check them out and let us know what ya think!
There’s something almost awe-inspiring when you witness a beautiful, confident left-hander pull up from the 3-point line. It brings back a bit of nostalgia for me; causing me to immediately think of Nick Van Exel, Chris Mullin or Kenny Anderson.
Luke Kennard is not ready to be on the same list as those names in terms of accomplishments just yet, but his lefty stroke is just as pure.
After demolishing the high school ranks in the state of Ohio, Kennard laced em’ up for Duke in 2015-16. He took home Ohio Mr. Basketball and Ohio Gatorade Player of the Year two consecutive seasons, and even passed LeBron James in points scored.
Kennard is a marksman with NBA size at 6’5″ who looks to have all the tools to eventually play in The Association. For now, he’s focused on improving for his sophomore season under Coach K and if that happens his name will certainly start to pop up on draft boards everywhere.
Last year Kennard played the sixth man role for Duke — he did have 11 starts however — finishing the season with averages of 11.8 points and 3.6 rebounds in just under 27 minutes. On the surface those are impressive numbers for a true freshman at a major program, but his shooting left something to be desired as he rounded out the year with splits of 42/32/89.
The good news is that those numbers are likely to rise as Kennard is simply too pure of a shooter to notch another season of 32 percent from outside. The bad news is that Duke is stacked with talent this season, so increased opportunity may not come immediately.
Had Grayson Allen bolted for the NBA like many thought he would, Kennard would be in line for the starting shooting guard role, but as it stands he looks to be ripe for that sixth man role yet again. The Dukies don’t really have a pure point guard, but incoming freshman Frank Jackson will likely play that role, leaving Kennard with roughly the same amount of minutes off the bench.
The added talent seems like a negative, but Duke is loaded in the front court with Harry Giles, Jayson Tatum, Amile Jefferson and Marques Bolden so the opportunity for kick outs to him will certainly be ripe for the picking.
If Kennard can improve his playmaking he can carve out an additional niche as a potential spot, combo guard next to Grayson Allen as well. Jackson will have his growing pains as a freshman at the most demanding position on the floor so if Kennard can show a propensity to make plays for others he can really take the next step. Last season he posted the lowest turnover rate (6.8 percent) in the entire ACC, but coupled that with as assist rate of just 10.6 percent.
His on-ball defense is adequate and he showed an innate ability to play the passing lanes with anticipation, and also help off his man at opportune times. He isn’t going to dazzle on the defensive end, but he doesn’t hurt the Blue Devils either.
His moneymaker is his jump shot and his seemingly unending confidence to pull the trigger in any situation.
This vicious rip through gets the defender off-balance — even if he hadn’t fallen it would have created space — and allows Kennard to nail a momentum changing shot; just watch the crowd and bench.
This is the dynamic that the sophomore guard brings to the Cameron Crazies and while he won’t have the exponential statistical leap Allen enjoyed last season, he will be their best shooter and take the next step in his progression.