New York Knicks: 5 Reasons To Select Luke Kennard In 2017 NBA Draft
4. Playmaking Ability
In the modern NBA, the most successful of players are those who are willing and able to move the ball. They don’t necessarily have to be elite distributors, but motion offenses tend to breed the strongest success and the presence of multiple ball-handlers provides invaluable versatility.
Luke Kennard isn’t exactly Chris Paul or John Wall as a facilitator, but he has the undeniable ability to create for his teammates.
Kennard averaged 2.5 assists per game and 2.8 assists per 40 minutes during the 2016-17 college basketball season. That’s a slight uptick from the 2.3 assists per 40 minutes he averaged during the 2015-16 campaign.
Despite averaging a fair number of assists and having a usage rate of 24.0 percent, Kennard averaged just 1.6 turnovers per game and 1.8 turnovers per 40 minutes in 2016-17.
Beyond the numbers, Kennard does an excellent job of getting the ball inside to his big men and out to his shooters. He’s comfortable running the pick and roll, and his size and ability to shoot off of even the weakest of screens makes the play that much more effective.
Running the triangle offense through Kennard may not be a realistic expectation, but he can help alleviate pressure from whomever the New York Knicks play at point guard.
He can thrive as either a complementary playmaker as a starting 2 or a Manu Ginobili style sixth man.