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

1. Increase his scoring total and efficiency

Kennard can be a 50-40-90 club member for life starting this season. He only scored 7.7 points per game last season. That number should go up, simply due to increased playing time. However, he can’t sacrifice volume for efficiency.

While his 44.3 percent shooting overall was a good number last year, Kennard is too limited outside of shooting to not shoot a great number from the field. While he may not reach the aforementioned 20 points per game mark, 13-15 points a night is a very reachable mark.

Kennard will likely be meet that 40 percent mark from 3-point range. However, the 50 percent overall mark will be a little tougher to come by. He’ll have to pick his spots carefully, and he needs to work on his short to mid-range shots. Casey worked with DeMar DeRozan during his time with the Toronto Raptors, who excelled at mid-range shots, so he could possibly do the same with Kennard.

Volume is normally a detractor of efficiency. High-volume shooters in Kennard’s mold like Korver have shown that doesn’t always have to be true. He’ll put up more shots this season, due to increased minutes. He will also put up more open shots this season, which should help with his efficiency. If Kennard is able to accomplish these goals, then he will make a strong case for the Most Improved Player at the end of the year.