Indiana Pacers: 5 options for pick No. 18 in 2017 NBA Draft

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Mar 19, 2017; Greenville, SC, USA; Duke Blue Devils guard Luke Kennard (5) shoots the ball against South Carolina Gamecocks guard Sindarius Thornwell (0) during the first half in the second round of the 2017 NCAA Tournament at Bon Secours Wellness Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jeremy Brevard-USA TODAY Sports /

Luke Kennard, SG, Duke

2016-17 Statistics: 19.5 PPG, 5.1 RPG, 2.5 APG

Luke Kennard is fairly typical of players coached by Mike Krzyzewski at Duke — and that’s a good thing. Kennard is a very fundamentally sound player, particularly on the offensive end.

Kennard was one of the best shooters in college basketball last season, showing the ability to score from the outside in a variety of ways: catch-and-shoot, using screens and pulling up off the dribble.

Luke Kennard has also been credited with being a strong leader at Duke, even as a sophomore. He is not a great athlete, but he is good enough to be able to get defenders off-balance and take the ball to the rim.

Kennard has nice size for a shooting guard, but he has short arms, so he may play smaller than his height at the pro level. However, the biggest deficiency in Kennard’s game comes on the defensive end of the court.

He makes an effort on defense, but he simply isn’t a talented defensive player. Unless he can make significant strides in that area, Kennard will likely be a player who needs to be “hidden” on that end of the floor.

Luke Kennard seems to fit the profile of a guy who can be a solid pro for a long time, but will probably never be a star. His ceiling may be fairly low, but the odds that he can at least be a quality role player in the NBA are very high.

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