“It’s easy cause he’s a white guy that shoots threes” – JJ Redick thinks people overlooked Luke Kennard’s game
Last evening, the Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Golden State Warriors, 119–103, at Chase Center, persevering with their push for the fourth seed within the Western Conference, which might safe residence-courtroom benefit within the first spherical of the playoffs.
Alongside a sometimes good efficiency from LeBron James, who completed with 26 factors, eight rebounds, and 11 assists, a main contribution as soon as once more got here from Luke Kennard. He ended the game with 16 factors and eight assists, taking pictures an environment friendly 5-of-9 from the sphere.
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It marked the third consecutive game during which the 6-foot-5 guard recorded a minimum of eight assists, a aspect of his game hardly ever related to him all through his profession, regardless of his place, and all of it led JJ Redick to reward Kennard after the game.
“It’s easy because he’s a white guy that shoots threes. To just think he’s just a shooter, that’s just the reality of the situation,” Redick said. “I’m sure every time I checked into an AAU tournament in eighth grade, everybody screamed, ‘Shooter, shooter, shooter!’ “That’s the life we have, that’s the life we chose.”
“I watched him a ton at Duke and got to know him during the pre-draft process, had a couple of phone calls with him, just talking through things, and competed against him,” I have added. “So I’ve recognized for a very long time there’s a lot of his game, a lot he can do as a basketball participant, primarily as a playmaker. He actually does such a good job of utilizing his taking pictures as a menace, utilizing his change of velocity and tempo as a menace, and simply persistently makes the precise play.”
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Kennard is main the league in 3-level proportion this season
Kennard has lengthy been thought to be one of the deadly shooters within the league, a fame backed by his staggering 44.2 % from past the arc, a mark that locations him second all-time in keeping with “Basketball Reference“The only name ahead of Luke? Steve Kerr — who, on this occasion, could only watch from the sidelines as Kennard dominated against his squad.
This season, the former Blue Devil is shooting an absurd 47.7 percent from deep on 3.2 attempts per game, leading the league and putting him on track to be remembered as one of the greatest shooters of all time if he maintains this pace.
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However, it has become increasingly clear that his game extends well beyond just shooting — something Kennard has emphatically showcased in the absence of Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves. During that stretch, Luke even delivered the first triple-double of his career with 15 points, 16 rebounds and 11 assists.
While the end of the season often sees players on tanking teams chasing personal records and posting inflated scoring numbers, the Lakers are far from relaxed, with their full focus on securing home-court advantage in the playoffs.
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Kennard will be a key piece in the absence of Doncic and Reaves
Still, with or without injuries, Kenyon Martin believes the Lakers are not built for playoff basketball.
“Y’all lose in the first round either way it goes,” Martin said. “You play four white boys, you ain’t gonna beat nobody… I want to know what team has been successful with that many on one roster.”
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“The point I’m making is Luka doesn’t play any ‘D’ if he is healthy — that’s a problem. Healthy or not, that’s an issue on that side of the ball, but him scoring 35 would help. But if he’s limited, good luck. Austin Reaves, your No. 2, you’re gonna need him to score 24, 25, 26 to beat anybody. Luke Kennard damn can’t save this coffee cup. He can shoot that, though. Then you playing Jake — you’re not going to beat anyone,” Martin continued.
Indeed, if there is one defining feature of this year’s Purple & Gold squad, it is that core group of Kennard, Doncic, Reaves and Jake LaRavia, among others, which helped push the Lakers to third place in the West before injuries derailed their momentum.
Still, if Kennard maintains this level of performance alongside James, who is expected to deliver as always, the Lakers could remain competitive until their two stars return sometime during the first round. And if that happens, no team will want to see them on the other side of the court.
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This story was initially printed by Basketball Network on Apr 10, 2026, the place it first appeared within the Latest News part. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
