NBA: 10 relative unknowns entering defining seasons in 2019-20

4. Luke Kennard, Detroit Pistons

Luke Kennard is the kind of player ideally suited for today’s modern NBA. He’s a solid shooter from outside (39.4 percent from 3 last year, 41.5 as a rookie). He’s a solid third option in an offense that includes Blake Griffin and Andre Drummond, scoring 15.4 points per 36 minutes.

The problem is that he’s a minus defender and a guy who showed no net improvement, posting identical catch-all advanced stats (.085 win shares per 48 minutes, 0.2 Value Over Replacement Player) in each of his first two years.

Every place he got better, he got worse some other way, to the point where all his gains were canceled out by his losses.

Year 3 is where we find out what kind of player Kennard is. If he’s a guy who reached his ceiling as a rookie and will be a steady below-average player, he’s destined for a life of sixth or seventh man roles, a guy whose best possible NBA career-arc comp is Jamal Crawford.

If, on the other hand, coach Dwane Casey can get the best out of his 23-year-old shooting guard, the Pistons could be a real force to be reckoned with featuring Griffin, Drummond, and Reggie Jackson with a solid wing shooter as the fourth option.