Luke Kennard, Atlanta Hawks
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Luke Kennard dropped 22 points in the Hawks recent win over the Warriors.
The Atlanta Hawks put together a full team effort in their 124-111 win over the Golden State Warriors. Atlanta got a big boost from one player off the bench.
Luke Kennard dropped 22 points and hit six three-pointers in 20 minutes of work. The 22 points and six three-pointers were both season highs for the veteran.
“Body movement and ball movement,” Kennard said after the game. ” I thought we did a good job of making the right plays and getting in the paint. Whenever we break the paint we get good looks and a lot of wide open three’s.”
Throughout his career, Kennard has been known as a knock-down shooter and he continues to do just that in year nine.
Luke Kennard is Leading the League in 3-Point Percentage
In his first season with the Hawks, Kennard is shooting 47.5 percent from three through 36 games. He currently leads the league in three-point percentage. Kennard is averaging 7.9 points and 2.3 assists.
The three-point specialist has had 10 games this season where he’s hit three or more three-pointers. During the month of January, he’s averaging 13 points and is shooting over 65 percent from deep. He’s scored in double figures in six of his last seven games.
During the off-season, the Hawks signed Kennard to a one-year deal worth $11 million. Hawks general manager Onsi Saleh was pleased to have the veteran join the team. “We’re excited to add Luke to our group,” Saleh said. “Luke is a great connector. He’s an elite shooter and proven playmaker with a high basketball IQ and team-first mentality. He fills multiple needs for us, and we believe he’s going to make our team better.”
Kennard has bounced around the league throughout his career and while he’s in Atlanta, he’ll look to add value on the court and help his team make a postseason appearance.
Luke Kennard Has Proven Himself Throughout His Career
Kennard is currently one of the best active three-point shooters in the league. For his career, he is shooting 44 percent from deep, making him the active career leader in that category. During the 2021-22 and 2022-23 seasons,he led the league in three-point field goal percentage and became just the third player in NBA history to league the league in three-point shooting in consecutive seasons.
Kennard started his career in 2017 when the Detroit Pistons took him with the 12th pick in the NBA Draft. He spent three seasons in Detroit and then joined the Los Angeles Clippers. After his time out west, he joined the Memphis Grizzlies, and that’s where he was before he joined the Hawks.
Kennard has shot 40 percent or better from three for seven out of the nine seasons he’s played and has done so for the last five seasons. Teams need shooters and there’s a reason why Kennard is still playing in the league today. As long as he continues to shoot the ball at a high-level he will continue to have the opportunity to make an impact. He has the opportunity to finish the season leading the league in three-point percentage for the third time in his career.