Luke Kennard must step up for Lakers without Luka…
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 court 19-year-old phenom Cooper Flagg, but there was no Luka Doncic making his return to Dallas. No Austin Reaves or Kyrie Irving either.
In their absence, a number of gamers on the Los Angeles Lakers roster can have an alternative to step up and shine. One of those gamers is Luke Kennard.
For the Lakers, this is no longer about surviving a stretch without their top two scorers who average 58 factors per recreation mixed. This is about forging a new id without them. One that will hopefully maintain them through not just the rest of the common season, but into the first spherical 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 total decide in the 2017 Draft was acquired from the Atlanta Hawks. NBAE via Getty Images
Before the Dallas recreation, Kennard was averaging 8.1 factors, 2.2 rebounds, and 1.9 assists per recreation. NBAE via 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 total decide in the 2017 Draft was acquired from the Atlanta Hawks on Feb. 5 for Gabe Vincent and a future second-round decide. Kennard was always seen as a luxurious for the Lakers, a spot-up shooter off the bench that might improve their paltry three-point proportion.
Thrust into the beginning lineup at level guard in place of Doncic, Kennard was abruptly requested to do one thing he hasn’t achieved before in his nine-year profession: grow to be a playmaker.
Entering the sport, Kennard was averaging 8.1 factors, 2.2 rebounds, and 1.9 assists per recreation. 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 best ranking out of any Lakers participant on the ground with a +8.
“It’s an encouraging sign. He did a nice job,” said Redick of Kennard’s efficiency. “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 value noting that one recreation doesn’t erase years of precedent. Kennard has constructed his profession as a three-point specialist. A sniper that can disguise in the nook, and space the ground. Asking him to morph into any model of Luka Doncic shouldn’t be just formidable, but it borders on reckless.
But truthfully, what other alternative 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 shall be requested to shoulder the offensive load, but he can’t have the ball in his arms for 48 straight minutes. And unless somebody stretches the ground not just with taking pictures, but with decision-making, this crew turns into predictable. Easy to guard. Easy to beat.
“We’re going to play lineups that haven’t played together all season,” said Redick before the sport. “All the guys know that we need to step up. We need all hands on deck.”
One of those arms has to 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 essential. IMAGN IMAGES via GWN Connect
He has to be aggressive. Not selectively. Consistently. That means searching his shot, not ready for it. That means turning a closeout into a drive, not a swing move. That means studying the second defender, manipulating weak-side help, and delivering passes that create benefit—not just preserve 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 will outscore groups without Doncic and Reaves, they’re fooling themselves. This crew’s margin for error just evaporated. Effort, communication, physicality—those aren’t non-compulsory now, they’re survival instruments. And while Kennard’s offensive evolution is a must, his defensive engagement would possibly quietly be just as essential.
Because on Sunday, it wasn’t even the Lakers offense that was the issue. It was the protection. Against a Mavericks crew that was 24-53 and already trying forward to ping-pong balls, the Lakers protection, that had held opponents to 115 factors per recreation this season, allowed Dallas to rating 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 replicate Doncic. That can be absurd. He’s being requested to broaden—to stretch the perimeters of his recreation in real time, under stress, with no runway. That’s where gamers either 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, keep defenses sincere with his taking pictures, and compete defensively–then the Lakers can keep afloat.
But if he shrinks—if he defaults back into being a spot-up spectator—then the Lakers season shall be over sooner than later.
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