NBA Mock Draft 2017, Week 14: Markelle Fultz is still no. 1
By Chris Stone
Luke Kennard
SG, Duke
Duke’s Luke Kennard is an incredibly talented scorer who can move the ball around on offense while not being its primary initiator. In the NBA, Kennard will likely be the final piece of a starting lineup or a guy who can come off the bench to score points while the starters are out.
This season, Kennard has become the Blue Devils’ best player. He’s capable of scoring at all three levels and is averaging 22.8 points per 40 minutes on a 67.0 true shooting percentage. After struggling from behind the 3-point arc as a freshman, Kennard is making 45.8 percent of his triples this season at a clip of 2.8 makes per 40 minutes. That rate is almost certainly unsustainable at the NBA level, but Kennard is also almost certainly closer to 40 percent than the 31.8 percent he shot as a freshman. As a high-IQ scorer, Kennard should be able to get plenty of buckets at the NBA level.
How he’ll fare defensively is another question. The Blue Devils have been well-known for their poor defense and Kennard isn’t much of an individual defender. He gets a few steals here and there, but nothing really sticks out about how he defends. In the NBA, the Duke sophomore will be much more prized for his offensive abilities.