It was the first win since Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves were on the sidelines. In their absence, Luka Kennard took the major ball-handling duties, which many did not envisage because he was a high-volume 3-point shooter. Coach Redick joked about the perception, but he knew about the 29-year-old’s abilities. “Yeah, I mean it’s easy cuz he’s a white guy that shoots threes to just think he’s just a shooter. That’s just the reality of the situation. Sure, every time he, you know, checked into an AAU tournament in 8th grade, everybody screamed, ‘Shooter, shooter, shooter.’ That’s the life we have. That’s the life we chose.”
Luke Kennard against the Warriors was his best again. He ended up with 14 points, eight assists, two rebounds, and four steals while going 6-11 from the field. After tonight’s game, he has accumulated 28 assists in 4 games since Luka/Reaves got hurt. What’s more interesting is that he has conceded only 4 turnovers and recovered 6 steals. While some may still doubt and be surprised by his playmaking ability, the former Duke star knew he always had it in his locker.
“Yeah, absolutely. I mean, look, we’re in the NBA for a reason. We’ve been able to do different things throughout our careers before we got here. You find that opportunity, and I feel like I did a good job of that, but now obviously I have more of a responsibility. I’m comfortable with it. I’m confident in what I can do, and I know my teammates and coaches are as well.”
The coach genuinely had immense confidence, which is why the change in role was imminent.
JJ Redick was quick in changing the new role for Luke Kennnrd
The 29-year-old is a 3-point specialist, but he has shown flashes of being able to run an offense and set teammates up for shots. His triple-double of 15 points, 16 rebounds, and 11 assists against the Mavericks was proof. Luka and AR are already out for the regular season. Smart has now missed his ninth consecutive game as he continues to recover from a right ankle contusion. And JJ Redick overburdening the 41-year-old LeBron James was not the right solution.
So the coach called upon Luke Kennard to be the solution. “We talked a lot about simplifying the initial play call and getting into second actions,” Redick said after the Sunday night game, and praised Kennard’s performance. “I think overall the guys did a really good job of that. I think we were 22-1 or 23-1 with 29 or more assists, now there’s two losses there. But it’s an encouraging sign. I think he did a nice job. We gotta figure out what can be the second ball-handler, obviously, 41 minutes is too much for him. Him having to handle as well, that’s not a normal thing for him, and probably contributed to him not having a great shooting night.”
Kennard notched his first triple-double of his career in a new role. Even tonight, he was flirting close to the double-double mark. But JJ Redick has to be careful, as the 29-year-old is averaging just 18.2% from beyond the arc in the last 4 games. A career low for the Duke alum who made his name as an elite shooter. So, the head coach must find the right balance as he deals with the turbulent injury scenario and races to the playoffs.
