1. Luke Kennard
Luke Kennard was one of my favorite prospects during the 2017 NBA draft, and a slightly rocky start to his NBA career hasn’t changed my opinion of him. The Duke product was drafted 12th overall in 2017 by the Detroit Pistons.
Coming out of college, Kennard was pegged as a 3-point sniper. He has the offensive ability to be a good overall scorer, though, not just a shooter. One of the critical mistakes basketball fans often make when evaluating players is putting shooters in a box. Yes, Kennard can shoot the lights out, but he can also do so much more. Let’s not limit him by calling him a shooter. He’s a scorer.
https://twitter.com/NBA/status/961416178139848709
Detroit hasn’t fully taken Luke Kennard out of the garage, though, and it’s extremely frustrating.
During Kennard’s sophomore year at Duke, he averaged 19.5 points per game on 48.9 percent shooting from the field and 43.8 percent shooting from 3-point range. Over his 1.5 years in the NBA, Kennard is averaging a mere 7.8 points per game on 43.7 percent shooting from the field and 39.4 percent shooting from 3-point range in 20.1 minutes per game.
If the Bulls could find a way to land Kennard in a trade, they could provide him with exactly what he needs: 25-30 minutes per game of offensive freedom.
Kennard should be the Bulls’ top priority before the trade deadline on Thursday.