Detroit Pistons: Which Player is Most Likely to Breakout in the Upcoming Season?

Luke Kennard, Detroit Pistons
Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports

Candidate #3: Luke Kennard

Luke Kennard is a good player. A lot of Pistons fans are down on him simply due to the fact that he was drafted one pick before Donovan Mitchell. And while Luke Kennard will likely never be as good as Mitchell, that doesn’t mean that he cannot become a good player.

Kennard was one of the most efficient offensive players for the Pistons last season even though he was only a rookie. He was 3rd on the team with a 3-point field goal percentage of 41.5. He also shot 85.5 percent from the free throw line. His field goal percentage of 44.3 could be better, but he still had a true shooting percentage of 56.0 percent. Luke Kennard’s growth as a player needs to come with his ability to finish inside. He only shot 59.7 percent from 0-3 feet from the basket and 30.2 percent from 3-10 feet, per Basketball Reference. These are things that are likely to get better as he better adjusts to the size and speed of the NBA.

He was lethal from mid-range, as he shot 44.1 percent from 10-16 feet and 50 percent from 16 feet to the 3-point line. Stan Van Gundy kept the reigns on Luke Kennard a bit until the end of the season. Kennard only averaged 20 minutes per game as a rookie, and many fans felt like he deserved more.

In 9 games as a starter last season, Luke Kennard averaged 24.4 minutes per game and scored 10.9 points per game on 47.3 percent shooting from the field and a ridiculous 62.1 percent shooting from 3. That 3-point shooting percentage is obviously not sustainable, but the numbers show that he performs better with more playing time. His numbers off the bench were 19.4 minutes and 7.2 points on 43.7 percent shooting from the field and 38 percent shooting from 3.

It doesn’t make a whole lot of sense why Stan Van Gundy kept Luke Kennard’s minutes down even when he was a starter. It especially doesn’t make a whole lot of sense because of how well Kennard played when he was starting.  Kennard is capable of more minutes, as he averaged 35.5 his sophomore year at Duke. I expect that to change under new coach Dwane Casey.

Dwane Casey used 3 guard lineups quite a bit last season in Toronto. With Luke Kennard’s sneaky handling and distributing, plus his ability to space the floor, he should find himself quite a bit of playing time this season. He is also passable as a team defender, so he won’t be held back from more playing time because of an inability to defend. If he can improve his finishing inside a bit while maintaining his shooting from the perimeter, he could be in for a huge breakout season.

Many Pistons fans are down on Luke Kennard because he is not Donovan Mitchell. However, if he is given the opportunity to play he will show everybody what he is capable of on offense. He is my pick for the Pistons’ breakout player for this upcoming season.

Next Up: Candidate #4

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