Second-year Los Angeles Lakers head coach JJ Redick is “excited” about drawing up plays for Luke Kennard, one of the NBA’s best three-point shooters, who was acquired by the Purple & Gold franchise before Thursday’s trade deadline.
“Excited about Luke,” Redick said after Thursday’s 119-115 win over the Philadelphia 76ers, via ESPN’s Dave McMenamin
“I’ve known him for about 12 years now, and I think he’s one of the best shooters in the NBA. I’m going to highly encourage him to shoot more and not turn down shots.”
Much like fellow Blue Devil Kennard, Redick was a movement shooter who was just as lethal coming off screens and knocking down shots. However, Redick may never have played alongside two all-time great passers, LeBron James and Luka Doncic, in the same lineup, a luxury Kennard is about to enjoy.
Lakers Trade Deadline Moves
Redick broke down the various ways in which Kennard can help a Lakers team that ranks 21st in 3p% (.349) and 23rd in 3PM (11.8). The Lakers also rank 23rd in 3PA (33.9) due to their lack of shooting in both the first and second units. Besides Doncic (3.5) and Austin Reaves (2.7), the Lakers don’t have any players making even 2.0 threes per game. Kennard, who averages 3.0 threes PER36 minutes in his career, is exactly what the doctor ordered for Redick and Co.
“I think one of the underrated parts of his game is his ability to move and create second actions and move the basketball,” Redick said of Kennard. “You’ve seen that now at a number of his stops where you can initiate the offense through an off-ball movement, and he will just make the right play and get the offense going.
“He’ll be a corner threat, and he’ll be an off-ball threat, and we’re excited to have him.”
Lakers Lose Luka Doncic to Injury
The game against the Sixers on Thursday was just the 10th time this season that Doncic, Reaves and LeBron James took the floor together. Unfortunately, Doncic went down with a hamstring injury in the game, meaning the Lakers could once again endure an extended stretch without their Big 3 developing chemistry ahead of the playoffs.
After Thursday’s win, Redick provided an update on Doncic’s injury.
“He felt some soreness in his hamstring so he didn’t feel like it was good enough to go back in [and] neither did [our medical team,] ” Lakers coach JJ Redick said. “So, we held him out and they [are] going to do some imaging. It’s too early to say if there’s an injury, but [he] just had a sore hamstring.”
Sports doctor Dr. Evan Jeffries provided a possible return timeline for Doncic. A grade 1 strain would mean Doncic could miss 1-to-2 weeks of action, leaving him sidelined for the All-Star Game in Los Angeles. A grade 2 strain could mean an absence of four-to-six weeks, delaying a return until mid-March. The latter scenario would mean the Slovenian, who has missed eight games thus far, would be out of contention for postseason awards and All-NBA honors. He currently has the third-shortest odds to win MVP, behind Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Nikola Jokic.
JJ Redick ‘Excited’ About Lakers Trade Deadline Acquistion