Oklahoma City doesn’t really have any sizable holes in their roster, meaning they can go with somebody based on talent alone here — and Luke Kennard fits that bill. The Duke sophomore has made incredible — and unexpected — strides this season, emerging as one of the ACC’s most dynamic offensive weapons outside of the aforementioned Justin Jackson. He’s one of the draft’s better pure shooters, and brings the type of complimentary skill set that could develop well as a Russell Westbrook accompaniment.
Kennard is hitting on 44.3 percent of his 3-point attempts this season, executing well both off the catch and off the dribble, at times. He wields a nice set of up-fakes and head-jerks that he can use to clear the defender and find his rhythm off of one or two dribbles, and uses that same tool kit when carving out space in the mid-range game. He also does well as the ball handler in the pick-and-roll, accompanying well-developed court vision with a silky floater and a smooth mid-range jumper, which is currently falling at a cool 50 percent, per Hoop-Math.com.
Kennard’s general polish — even without great athletic tools by NBA standards — makes him somebody who’s difficult to bet against heading to the next level. He has an innate feel for the game, and it’s evident in all the heady, intellectually advanced plays he makes on a nightly basis. He’s the consumate definition of a glue guy, and fits the archetype of a strong perimeter shooter that has become increasingly imperative in today’s league.
Where he falls on Oklahoma City’s bench early on is a bit of a question mark, with Victor Oladipo, Andre Roberson, Doug McDermott and Alex Abrines all likely to stay ahead of him, assuming they’re all still on the roster. That doesn’t, however, make the pick any less valuable. Not only does Kennard have the potential to still carve out a niche in some capacity, but he’s the type of quality leader and well-mannered kid that should stick around for the foreseeable future. His work ethic has been evident with Duke, and that should translate at the next level.