Player Profile:
“While Kennard doesn’t yield the greatest athletic returns, his skill set is more than worthy of NBA consideration. At 6-6, he has an underrated frame, and boasts a combination of high basketball I.Q. and great offensive instincts that make it difficult to drop him much lower than this.
Where Kennard’s NBA stock is rooted his 3-point shooting. He’s shooting at a 43.8 percent clip from deep while showing the ability to do so both off the dribble and off the catch over the course of this season.
What truly elevates Kennard’s status, though, is what he has added to his game. He doesn’t kill the opposition with quickness but does an exceptional job of probing inside and finding passing lanes in the teeth of the defensive coverage. We’ve seen Kennard running the offense at times for Duke, both in the pick-and-roll and via dribble penetration, something he hasn’t done in the past.” — 2017 NBA Draft Big Board 5.0.
Outside Opinion:
“Kennard has been the NCAA’s most efficient scorer on a points per possession basis, which is a really, really impressive thing to factor in when you look at his breakout season. People are going to knock him as an athlete, but he does so many things well with and without the ball in his hands that it’s easy to envision him helping somebody out, some way. He’s tough, can handle it, and is one of the best shooters in this draft.” — Jeremy Woo in SI.com’s 2017 NBA Draft Big Board 2.0.
Team Fit:
The Blazers get this pick from Denver via the Jusuf Nurkic trade, and could use it to add some needed depth to a relatively thin rotation behind Lillard and McCollum. They’ve already gone big with Williams at 11, meaning they can balance out a quality rim protector with one of college basketball’s best offensive weapons in Kennard.
Allen Crabbe is the only sustainable backup Portland has on the wing right now, meaning Kennard combination of playmaking and shooting could be a quality add from day one. He’s a capable spot-up shooter, while also providing Portland with another player capable of initiating the offense from time to time, making solid reads towards the inside and keeping the ball moving along the perimeter.
This is a Portland team whose lack of bench performance has caused them to regress significantly this season. Hopefully, Kennard would help rectify some of that.