Luke Kennard must step up for Lakers without Luka Doncic and Austin…
The stage at American Airlines Center on Easter Sunday felt uncovered. LIke it was stripped of its stars. Sure, there was still LeBron James and on the other facet of the courtroom 19-year-old phenom Cooper Flagg, however there was no Luka Doncic making his return to Dallas. No Austin Reaves or Kyrie Irving both.
In their absence, a number of gamers on the Los Angeles Lakers roster can have a chance to step up and shine. One of those gamers is Luke Kennard.
For the Lakers, this is now not about surviving a stretch without their top two scorers who common 58 factors per game mixed. This is about forging a new identification without them. One that will hopefully maintain them by way of not just the the rest of the common season, however into the first round of the NBA playoffs as effectively.
“Both those guys are going to try and come back,” said Lakers head coach J.J. Redick of Doncic and Reaves. “It’s our job to extend the season so that they can come back.”
The former twelfth general choose in the 2017 Draft was acquired from the Atlanta Hawks. NBAE through Getty Images
Before the Dallas game, Kennard was averaging 8.1 factors, 2.2 rebounds, and 1.9 assists per game. NBAE through Getty Images
Playing without their engine and their spark plug, the Lakers sputtered on Sunday against the Dallas Mavericks 134-128. But a silver lining in the loss was the play of Kennard.
The former twelfth general choose in the 2017 Draft was acquired from the Atlanta Hawks on Feb. 5 for Gabe Vincent and a future second-round choose. Kennard was always seen as a luxurious for the Lakers, a spot-up shooter off the bench that may enhance their paltry three-point proportion.
Thrust into the beginning lineup at point guard instead of Doncic, Kennard was abruptly requested to do one thing he hasn’t finished before in his nine-year profession: turn out to be a playmaker.
Entering the game, Kennard was averaging 8.1 factors, 2.2 rebounds, and 1.9 assists per game. Through two-and-a-half quarters on Sunday, he had his first profession triple-double, ending with 15 factors, 16 rebounds, and 11 assists. He also had the highest rating out of any Lakers participant on the flooring with a +8.
“It’s an encouraging sign. He did a nice job,” said Redick of Kennard’s performance. “Him playing 41 minutes and having to handle the ball that much is not a normal thing for him…but he did some amazing things.”
Before we get carried away, it’s price noting that one game doesn’t erase years of precedent. Kennard has constructed his profession as a three-point specialist. A sniper that can cover in the nook, and area the flooring. Asking him to morph into any version of Luka Doncic will not be just bold, however it borders on reckless.
But actually, what other selection do the Lakers have?
Without Doncic and Reaves, the offense doesn’t just shrink, it collapses inward. The geometry modifications. A 41-year-old James will likely be requested to shoulder the offensive load, however he can’t have the ball in his palms for 48 straight minutes. And except somebody stretches the flooring not just with taking pictures, however with decision-making, this team turns into predictable. Easy to protect. Easy to beat.
“We’re going to play lineups that haven’t played together all season,” said Redick before the game. “All the guys know that we need to step up. We need all hands on deck.”
One of those palms must be Kennard.
Kennard has constructed his profession as a three-point specialist. Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images
Kennard’s offensive evolution is a must, and his defensive engagement is just as crucial. IMAGN IMAGES through Reuters Connect
He must be aggressive. Not selectively. Consistently. That means searching his shot, not ready for it. That means turning a closeout right into a drive, not a swing move. That means studying the second defender, manipulating weak-side assist, and delivering passes that create benefit—not just keep it. Sunday was a promising start, particularly when he threw a lob to James on the break in the third quarter.
But if the Lakers assume they’ll outscore groups without Doncic and Reaves, they’re fooling themselves. This team’s margin for error just evaporated. Effort, communication, physicality—those aren’t optionally available now, they’re survival instruments. And while Kennard’s offensive evolution is a must, his defensive engagement may quietly be just as crucial.
Because on Sunday, it wasn’t even the Lakers offense that was the downside. It was the protection. Against a Mavericks team that was 24-53 and already trying ahead to ping-pong balls, the Lakers protection, that had held opponents to 115 factors per game this season, allowed Dallas to score 134. Nearly 20 factors more than regular.
“Missing those two guys is a big change,” admitted Kennard after the loss. “We did some really good things offensively, but it has to be defense for us. That’s what we have to hang our hat on going forward.”
Kennard isn’t being requested to copy Doncic. That can be absurd. He’s being requested to develop—to stretch the edges of his game in real time, under stress, with no runway. That’s the place gamers both evolve or get uncovered.
“It’s something I’ve never really done, being that involved and having the ball in my hands that much,” said Kennard of his new function. “I have to be better with it. The shots are going to fall, but it’s about getting everyone connected and being organized out there and just being confident with it. It’s something I’m looking forward to getting better with.”
If Kennard can maintain even 70% of what he confirmed on Sunday–double-digit assists, maintain defenses sincere along with his taking pictures, and compete defensively–then the Lakers can keep afloat.
But if he shrinks—if he defaults again into being a spot-up spectator—then the Lakers season will likely be over prior to later.
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