Luke Kennard is developing into a key piece for the Detroit Pistons future

In his third season with the Detroit Pistons, Luke Kennard is turning into a solid shooting guard that the franchise can build around

This is the season the Detroit Pistons are seeing the development of a key piece of their future in Luke Kennard. In his third season, the former Duke standout is taking on the role of starting shooting guard which the Pistons hope will be his for a long time.

This is the first season that Kennard has been the first choice as the starting shooting guard. In his rookie season, Kennard was the third choice behind Avery Bradley amongst others. He averaged 7.6 points, 2.4 rebounds and 1.7 assists in 20.0 minutes per game.

He played 73 games, starting nine of them. Kennard made 44.3 percent of his 6.4 field goal attempts. He was excellent from distance, making 41.5 percent of his 2.7 attempts per game. He was not proficient at getting to the line making only 1.0 attempts per game. When he got there Kennard made 85.5 percent of his free throws.

In his sophomore season, Kennard averaged 9.7 points, 2.9 rebounds and 1.8 assists in 22.8 minutes per game. His shot attempts rose to 8.3 per game but his shooting did not diminish, going at 43.8 percent from the floor.

His shots from deep rose to 4.3 per game but his percentage dipping slightly to a still-solid 39.4 percent. Kennard was still unable to get to the line more than 1.0 times per game but still hit a good 83.6 percent.

Kennard only played 63 games in the season, starting ten of them. He was still third-string guard behind Wayne Ellington and Bruce Brown.

This season, through injury, the Pistons had no option but to start Kennard until knee soreness caught up with him, forcing him to sit until early January. Despite this minor setback, he has repaid them handsomely. Through 28 games Kennard is averaging 15.8 points, 3.5 rebounds and 4.1 assists in 32.9 minutes per game.

His shot attempts have risen according to his minutes. His attempts per game have gone up to 12.2 per game. Fortunately, his percentage is still high, making 44.2 percent of all field goals. This is despite playing more minutes and against starting-caliber defenders.

His shooting from deep is also holding up well. His attempts have risen to 6.5 per game and he is making 39.9 percent from beyond the arc. Kennard has developed his game further by getting to the free-throw line 2.7 times per game. He is making these shots at a career-high 89.3 percent.

There is one other number where Kennard is showing even more development and that is in his assist numbers. His 4.1 dimes per game are the highest of Kennard’s career, more than twice the number of his previous two seasons. Kennard has never averaged more than 2.5 assists, even during college.

This shows that Kennard is looking for the right shot for the team. He is more than capable of making his own shot but thanks to the respect he is now getting on his 3-point shot, he is in a much better position to make shots for others.

The respect is very well deserved on his shot, his 40.2 career percent from beyond the arc is 16th among active players in the NBA in just his third season. This number is also good for 37th all-time and will hopefully get even better for the Pistons.

Kennard’s development is a bright spot in the injury-ravaged season of the Detroit Pistons. The chemistry he is developing with key Pistons Andre Drummond and Blake Griffin will stand this team in good stead for the future.