Kennard's NBA Career Compared to Other Dukies

[ElectricMayhem]

An interesting way to see how people think of Kennard. Where do you think his NBA career will end up in a ranking of these Duke Alumni wings?
Shane Battier
Seth Curry
Luol Deng
Gerald Henderson Jr.
Grant Hill
Rodney Hood
Brandon Ingram
Dahntay Jones
JJ Redick
Austin Rivers
Kyle Singler
Jayson Tatum

[ElectricMayhem]

Here's what I'll go with:

1. Grant Hill
2. Shane Battier
3. Jayson Tatum
4. Luol Deng
5. JJ Redick
6. Luke Kennard
7. Rodney Hood
8. Brandon Ingram
9. Seth Curry
10. Gerald Henderson Jr.
11. Dahntay Jones
12. Austin Rivers
13. Kyle Singler

[ImHeisenberg]

I really have no clue where he'll fall. His defense could be so awful, that he ends up as the 12th guy down the depth chart and only sees time when it's a final play and they need floor spacing.

Or, he could be something like Kyle Korver, or JJ Redick, where they carve out a nice role in the league that provides great shooting to the extent that their weak D doesn't kill you.

The final result probably falls somewhere in between that spectrum.

[ChuckVanBrown]

Kennard can shoot, so there's a good chance he'll at least be a serviceable NBA player based on his offensive potential alone. The open questions are his defensive ability and toughness, but those are oftentimes concerns with any rookie.

If he can play similarly to Redick I'll be very pleased. I see him as an efficient shooting guard that helps stretch the floor, and hopefully has some other intangibles such as decent playmaking and competent defense. He seems like the kind of player who'll be willing to learn, and he'll have a great opportunity to learn the ropes with Bradley as our starting SG.

[Kilo]

Ceiling is probably 6th and the floor is 14th...

[Blkbrd671]

I think he'll be up next to Grant hill when its all said and done, but not surpass him. Kennard can flat out score the ball, and in reality thats what makes guys #1 over #2 rather than their ability to play defense. Grant Hill is a lot better athlete, probably the only reason he'd stay above Kennard.

The more and more film i watch of LK, the more i think he's going to change our franchise direction. If he hasn't already. I truly think KCP is here if LK doesn't impress SVG in SL.

He has a feel for the game
He has pace
His technique needs work but once he adjusts to the speed of the NBA, no reason to think he's not going to be at least a 20ppg scorer.

[hoophabit]

I hate these wildly speculative threads, but what the hell this place is dead. I have a feeling there could be something special about Kennard. It's pretty much a given that he's regarded as a gifted shooter/scorer. He's a better athlete than many seem to think. There are few areas of the game where he doesn't at least rank as "pretty good." The big downer before and immediately after the draft was how he was a terrible defender, but it didn't appear so to me during SL (yes, I know, thank you.) He didn't appear soft, weak, or unwilling to mix it up. In fact, I was pleasantly surprised at how well he rebounded his position. Maybe the former heralded QB has something to offer this team in the way of composure and leadership that it has sorely needed. Since Luke has yet to play a real NBA game, I can't rule out the possibility that he could bust, but I also think there's a real chance that he might rank up there with the best of the Duke alumni. One of the things that gives me hope is that coack K regarded him as a "no maintenance" guy. Certainly, it's one of the stories that makes the coming season compelling for me.

[In SVG We Trust]

Kennard got an almost elite footwork, specially if you notice he's a rookie. He got a very good handles for a non PG rookie too. If he works to be an above average athlete, he's going to be a huge threat on offense

[Moses ShamMoses]

I would be shocked if he was a better talent that a Grant Hill who was a top 5 player in his day BUT for some reason I see a little Manu Ginobili in his game. If Manu lite is his ceiling and he hits it then that would place him #2 in your list over Battier imo.

[In SVG We Trust]

I would be shocked if he was a better talent that a Grant Hill who was a top 5 player in his day BUT for some reason I see a little Manu Ginobili in his game. If Manu lite is his ceiling and he hits it then that would place him #2 in your list over Battier imo.

Manu is one of the most underrated players ever. He would be consider WAYYYY more better if he had played as first reference his whole career. Yeah, maybe he couldn't get a ring, but a lot of people put Vince Carter or T-Mac ahead of Manu historically, and I wonder how good could have been Manu as first.

Because I can see him like a slighty worse version of Harden, with better D, and that's a GREAT player. I mean, I really believe if you switch Kobe's and Manu's athleticism, Ginobili would be the better player.

[ElectricMayhem]

I decided to be a little more optimistic - bumped him up to no. 6.