Detroit Pistons: 3 goals for Luke Kennard’s success in 2018

The Detroit Pistons plan to give Luke Kennard an even bigger role this season. He has a few things to do to make sure this season is considered a success.

The Detroit Pistons drafted Luke Kennard last season with the 12th overall pick. While he didn’t have the explosive first year of other rookies like Jayson Tatum and Donovan Mitchell, who was picked 13th, Kennard did have a productive year. He showed that he can have a long and productive career in the mold of Kyle Korver.

Heading into his second year, he’s poised to take on a bigger role under new head coach Dwane Casey.

3-point shooting is at a premium in today’s NBA. Teams are constantly searching for more and more shooting to add to their rosters. Last season, only five rotation players shot above 35 percent from 3-point range for the Pistons. Three of those five are now gone. Kennard and fellow wing Reggie Bullock will be leading that charge. Kennard has the ability to become a 20 points per game scorer with how quickly he pours in buckets.

While he won’t be the team’s MVP or lockdown defender, he can be one of the team’s biggest offensive weapons. He has the potential to take the proverbial second-year leap to join the elite sophomores from his class. Klay Thompson, Kyle Korver and J.J. Redick have each made a career out of running off screens to pour in 3-point shots. Kennard can start developing that skill-set during the upcoming season.