Why is Kennard so hesitant on offense?
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Why is Kennard so hesitant on offense?
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Why is Kennard so hesitant on offense?
I just don't get it. Kennard to me does not seem to hunt his shot at all. Spends a great deal of his time standing in the corner and the Pistons don't really seem to run much for him either. Seriously starting to wonder if this guy will ever make a really big impact in the NBA in terms of scoring. You have Galloway who comes in to games and is on auto shot and then Luke who is arguably the best pure shooter on the team is invisible. Shoot the ball Luke!
Re: Why is Kennard so hesitant on offense?
- The_Irony
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Re: Why is Kennard so hesitant on offense?
just like when a dog flinches when his new owner raises his hand because of a previously abusive owner..SVG did the same thing to Luke and Stanley.
gonna take some time
gonna take some time
Re: Why is Kennard so hesitant on offense?
- vege
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Re: Why is Kennard so hesitant on offense?
That's the biggest issue with Kennard. He is too passive. If he is going to ever be a starter in the league, he gotta be a lot more agressive, else he will be an okish backup at best.
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- Kilo
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Re: Why is Kennard so hesitant on offense?
Kennard wants to be a mindless cog, wants to be the coaches chess piece who will only shoot when the play is called for him. He's one player who won't benefit from Casey - Kennard needs the micromanager prick coach archetype. He chose Coach K, went back for a second helping of that and then was always "Thank you Coach Van Gundy, can I have another" whenever Stan yanked on his choke chain.
Weaver = Hinkie
VW to Portland
VW to Portland

Re: Why is Kennard so hesitant on offense?
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Re: Why is Kennard so hesitant on offense?
vege wrote:That's the biggest issue with Kennard. He is too passive. If he is going to ever be a starter in the league, he gotta be a lot more agressive, else he will be an okish backup at best.
Yep, agree with this and I just don't understand why. His defense is sub par for sure so if he's going to be a non-factor on offense then it's going to be hard to play him at all. I also do a little bit question how much the team likes Luke. I firmly believe that Reggie Jackson shuts him out on purpose and he had a pretty good number of open kickouts from Griffin and Drummond last night that they blew off as well.
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Re: Why is Kennard so hesitant on offense?
Most of this lies wholely within himself.
Simply put, Luke has a shooter's mentality not a scorer's mentality. Shooters are generally passive, scorers are generally aggressive.
Simply put, Luke has a shooter's mentality not a scorer's mentality. Shooters are generally passive, scorers are generally aggressive.
Re: Why is Kennard so hesitant on offense?
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Re: Why is Kennard so hesitant on offense?
Mostly? He's just kinda slow. He can knock down open shots, but he's not blowing by anyone. At best, he gets them a bit off balance and the stops and/or spins for a jumper. Anyone defending him knows this, so they play him for the J. The only way he's getting open looks is off great ball motion.
Can he improve? Yeah, probably. There are lots of examples of slower guys that learn to use their body to make space. It's not an easy transition though.
Can he improve? Yeah, probably. There are lots of examples of slower guys that learn to use their body to make space. It's not an easy transition though.
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Re: Why is Kennard so hesitant on offense?
He needs to become Kyle Korver or JJ Redick 2.0. Move without the ball, use screens to get open, and be able to quickly shoot from any spot.
Jeff Van Gundy on his brother's Pistons: 'He took over the Titanic and it's sinking even quicker'
Re: Why is Kennard so hesitant on offense?
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Re: Why is Kennard so hesitant on offense?
Kennard has a slow release. Unless he works on that he will always have problems getting his shot off and will never have a high usage rate
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Re: Why is Kennard so hesitant on offense?
thesack12 wrote:Most of this lies wholely within himself.
Simply put, Luke has a shooter's mentality not a scorer's mentality. Shooters are generally passive, scorers are generally aggressive.
Like Jordan Clarkson has a scorer's mentality but he's a chucker, can't shoot well. Kennard will be fine, he shouldn't force anything to please fans. He's shooting high percentage shots when the shots come to him. That's all you can do to stay in the rotation. Stanley Johnson on the other hand will shoot himself out of the game cuz he sucks at it.
Defense wins championships
Re: Why is Kennard so hesitant on offense?
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Re: Why is Kennard so hesitant on offense?
afroxnas wrote:Kennard has a slow release. Unless he works on that he will always have problems getting his shot off and will never have a high usage rate
He has one of the best releases I've ever seen. Not slow at all. Watch how Booker shoots. You'll notice they shoot similarly.
Defense wins championships
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Re: Why is Kennard so hesitant on offense?
Moses ShamMoses wrote:He needs to become Kyle Korver or JJ Redick 2.0. Move without the ball, use screens to get open, and be able to quickly shoot from any spot.
Korver led the league 4 times in shooting % from 3 so he's not just any starter, he's one of the best of all time. Reddick was a superstar in college, completely owned it so his mentality was already developed coming into the NBA
Defense wins championships
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Re: Why is Kennard so hesitant on offense?
Luke is who he is. He can handle the ball, but not a blow-by Guy.
He’ll take some shots within the flow of the offense, but he’s mostly a jump shooter. Casey’s offense doesn’t even fit him because Kennard loves the midrange. He’s a crafty lefty like Ginobili but without the speed and athleticism and size.
Best case for him is a pg off the bench that handles the ball and shoots when he wants. Other than that he’s mostly catch & shoot at this point.
He’ll take some shots within the flow of the offense, but he’s mostly a jump shooter. Casey’s offense doesn’t even fit him because Kennard loves the midrange. He’s a crafty lefty like Ginobili but without the speed and athleticism and size.
Best case for him is a pg off the bench that handles the ball and shoots when he wants. Other than that he’s mostly catch & shoot at this point.
You need 2-way wings, 2-way shooting bigs, and you can't allow low iq players on the court. Assist/turnover ratio is crucial. Shooting point guards are icing on the cake IF they are plus defenders.
Weaver & Casey, govern yourselves accordingly!
Weaver & Casey, govern yourselves accordingly!
Re: Why is Kennard so hesitant on offense?
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Re: Why is Kennard so hesitant on offense?
Spider156 wrote:Moses ShamMoses wrote:He needs to become Kyle Korver or JJ Redick 2.0. Move without the ball, use screens to get open, and be able to quickly shoot from any spot.
Korver led the league 4 times in shooting % from 3 so he's not just any starter, he's one of the best of all time. Reddick was a superstar in college, completely owned it so his mentality was already developed coming into the NBA
That and Korver and Redick are ridiculously conditioned and they are actually low-key really fast and know their "routes" so to speak.
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- BadMofoPimp
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Re: Why is Kennard so hesitant on offense?
DBC10 wrote:Spider156 wrote:Moses ShamMoses wrote:He needs to become Kyle Korver or JJ Redick 2.0. Move without the ball, use screens to get open, and be able to quickly shoot from any spot.
Korver led the league 4 times in shooting % from 3 so he's not just any starter, he's one of the best of all time. Reddick was a superstar in college, completely owned it so his mentality was already developed coming into the NBA
That and Korver and Redick are ridiculously conditioned and they are actually low-key really fast and know their "routes" so to speak.
I remember going into the Magic locker room when Dwight was playing in Orlando and on the board it showed Reddick as the strongest person on the team per their mass. I still may have that pic somewhere I took of the board.
I got it still. At the top for 2009


Provin Ya'll Wrong!!!
Re: Why is Kennard so hesitant on offense?
- Uncle Mxy
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Re: Why is Kennard so hesitant on offense?
Which one is rookie Redick, Korver, and Kennard?
41% FG, 38% 3P, 6ppg
44% FG, 41% 3P, 7ppg
35% FG, 39% 3P, 4ppg
41% FG, 38% 3P, 6ppg
44% FG, 41% 3P, 7ppg
35% FG, 39% 3P, 4ppg
Re: Why is Kennard so hesitant on offense?
- detroitKG
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Re: Why is Kennard so hesitant on offense?
The 2nd one if I'm not mistaken!?Uncle Mxy wrote:Which one is rookie Redick, Korver, and Kennard?
41% FG, 38% 3P, 6ppg
44% FG, 41% 3P, 7ppg
35% FG, 39% 3P, 4ppg
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Re: Why is Kennard so hesitant on offense?
- Uncle Mxy
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Re: Why is Kennard so hesitant on offense?
My point is that it took awhile for Redick and Korver to become greater and somewhat less one-dimensional. If they're your benchmarks, Kennard's doing just fine thus far.
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Re: Why is Kennard so hesitant on offense?
Seems to be a combination of him being afraid to make mistakes and the coach/vets not really having an interest in getting him involved beyond being a spot-up guy.
Not having the summer league to see him running the show a bit more was a huge hit to his season IMO.
Not having the summer league to see him running the show a bit more was a huge hit to his season IMO.
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Re: Why is Kennard so hesitant on offense?
Uncle Mxy wrote:Which one is rookie Redick, Korver, and Kennard?
41% FG, 38% 3P, 6ppg
44% FG, 41% 3P, 7ppg
35% FG, 39% 3P, 4ppg
Uncle Mxy wrote:My point is that it took awhile for Redick and Korver to become greater and somewhat less one-dimensional. If they're your benchmarks, Kennard's doing just fine thus far.
In their rookie years:
JJ Redick played in 42 games averaging 14.8 MPG for a total of 622 minutes
Luke Kennard played in 73 games averaging 20.0 MPG for a total of 1463 minutes
Kyle Korver played in 74 games averaging 11.9 MPG for a total of 882 minutes
Considering the HUGE disparity in minutes among the three, Luke's production isn't exactly a shining result....
In evaluating whether or not Luke has big upside as a scorer or not, one thing that jumps out to me is the fact that he only had 76 total FT attempts in 73 games played. I just don't see him having the athleticism or mentality to be a high level scorer in this league. He can be a very good shooter however.