Asked to contemplate whether the NBA has changed much between now and his head coaching tenure in Cleveland, new Clippers coach Tyronn Lue said no, everyone’s still in love with the 3-pointer.
“Still the 3-ball is the most important thing in the game right now,” said Lue, whose Cavaliers teams were among the NBA’s top five in 3-point attempts in each of his three seasons.
Considering as much, it’s crucial that a particular member of the Clippers gets going. And he knows it.
Last month, the Clippers swapped one sharpshooter for another. They partook in a three-team draft night deal that sent third-year guard Landry Shamet to Brooklyn and brought, from Detroit, fourth-year guard Luke Kennard, whom they fancy as a more capable playmaker.
Kennard, it turns out, didn’t much fancy his debut performances with the Clippers.
Kawhi Leonard said the 24-year-old former Duke star addressed his new teammates before Thursday’s outing and promised he’d contribute more than the tentative seven points, two assists he posted in the preseason opener against the Lakers, and the four-point, two-assist game he had against them two days later.
Kennard also told reporters he was going to make it a point to think quicker, play with more physicality and pick up the pace.
He was true to his word on Thursday, coming off the bench against Utah to score 13 points, including going 3 for 4 from behind the arc. The lefty shooter stepped back expertly for 3-pointers, stepped into another, and lofted in a floater in the lane. (One of his misses was an end-of-quarter fling, another was a volley off the backboard following a Paul George miss).
“He told us that in the locker room, he wants to play better,” Leonard said. “That is big from guys, if they’re saying that in the preseason, you know what I mean? He’s locked in.
“I like what I see.”
"He's locked in. I like what I see. I want him to just play his game."@LukeKennard5 is making a good first impression. pic.twitter.com/LhchMFRyeA
— LA Clippers (@LAClippers) December 18, 2020
Lue likes it too, although the coach tried to relieve some of the pressure Kennard, a career 40.2% 3-point shooter, was putting on himself after nearly a calendar year away from NBA action. The extended hiatus was the result of the bilateral knee tendinitis that cost Kennard 35 games in Detroit before the coronavirus halted play entirely.
“I also told Luke don’t be as hard on himself, because he hasn’t played in almost a year,” Lue said. “With that being said, he is a competitor. He wants to play well.”
So the Clippers’ message to Kennard is clear: Be that guy. The guy who, in high school, passed LeBron James on Ohio’s all-time prep scoring list, tallying 2,977 points, the second-most in state history. The guy who then, as a sophomore at Duke, shot 43.8% from 3-point range on 5.4 attempts per game in his final season playing for Coach Mike Krzyzewski.
The guy who was in the midst of a breakout season late last year before injury and pandemic interrupted, having established career highs in points (15.8), assists (4.1), rebounds (3.5) and minutes (32.9) while upping his assist percentage to 18.4% from 12.4% through 28 games.
“After our first scrimmage in training camp, I just told him, ‘Be aggressive, be who you are,’” Lue said. “‘If you’re doing too much, I’ll let you know – and I doubt I would ever say that.’ And I told him, ‘Kawhi and PG, they need that from you. They want that from you. So don’t come here trying to fit in, trying to please guys. Just play your game, and then we’ll make sure we tailor your game around our offensive foundation.’
“And last game,” Lue added, “I thought that was his best game so far in being aggressive and getting into the paint, shooting the 3, attacking. Pat Beverley, Kawhi, PG, Lou (Williams), we’re all excited for him being aggressive and attacking the basket and taking his shot … that’s what we’re gonna need from him all season long.”
.@lukekennard5 makin’ plays. pic.twitter.com/nABC1XQklZ
— LA Clippers (@LAClippers) December 12, 2020
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