[ChoppyParticipant]

 I haven’t been particularly high on Kennard’s skill set, other than his exceptional shooting, but he has apparently been smashing workouts and has worked out for at least 2 lottery teams, Detroit and now the Knicks. Have we all got him too low? Is he a chance of going lottery? I’ve got serious questions about his defensive potential due to his short wingspan and less than elite athleticism, but does his offensive versatility overcome his shortcomings? 

[tblazer_NZParticipant]

New York is looking to trade for one of Portland’s picks so their interest is probably in the 20-26 pick range. Detroit’s pick seems to high.

[nill650Participant]

 not sure where you have had him but he definitely is going in the lottery. he has been killing Fergusson and Monk and Mitchell . If that aint enough to bypass them the athletic testing that was off the charts will do it. He shoots as well as Steph did coming in, so that projects as a pretty damn good option in the 6-13 range.

[WotanParticipant]

 Are you saying that he’s been killing Ferguson, Monk and Mitchell in various team workouts? Where are you hearing this?  I’m not doubting you, I just want access to more info about the pre-draft workouts.

[nill650Participant]

 vist the draft express youtube feeds most of the workouts are private but some of the biggest buzz came out of the Lakers workouts

 

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch

[Taylor Gang MikeParticipant]

Kennard is a stud.. Hope Sixers can grab him if they can get 10.. He is gonnna be good, he didn’t break Lebron record for nothing haha

[IlladelphParticipant]

 Well, you’d have to make a case for why he should be drafted ahead of other lottery picks, so I’ll take a stab at it.  

I think Kennard is an elite offensive talent.  He is an elite spot-up shooter who can also shake and bake his defender to clear his own space.  He shot nearly 44% from 3 in ACC conference play.  His offensive win shares, and offensive box plus/minus were both number 1 in the ACC this year.  The guy is truly an elite scorer.  Wherever he goes, he is gong to learn the defensive scheme, so yeah he may get burned on iso situations, but the modern NBA (at least for the successful teams) is not iso ball anymore.  

I think Kennard is under-rated on this mock draft.  He should definitely be the first or second Dukie taken int he first round.  Yes, I would consider taking him ahead of Tatum.  But I would no doubt take him ahead of Harry Giles.  Kennard can play in the NBA today, and he still has significant upside.

 

 

[mamadouParticipant]

 Personally i have him in the 11-20 range, i think it’s fair.

Too much time with a hand in his hair, not enough time guarding people.

 

[benny15Participant]

 i have him going 12 or 14 right now on a trade down by minny if isaac doesnt fall to them. and as much as im hopping his outside game will translate to the next level, i am keeping my expectations low in case he adjusts to the league like stauskas has. 3 years into the league and its not like he’s lighting it up consistently from the outside despite getting consistent minutes on a team that needs outside shooting and scoring and has very little vets ahead of him in the rotation. 

they both came out of college after their second years and shot almost the same amount of 3’s per game with simillar percentages. of course stauskas is still developing and can still become a dead eye shooter in the league, but its far from a guarantee he or kennard will end up finding simillar success in the pros as they did in college shooting from deep. 

 

[holefillers1Participant]

 Stauskas is more athletic with a much better handle and still struggles against NBA length and athleticism.  I loved Nik coming out of Michigan, thought he could be Ray Allen lite…nope. He plays better when he can incorporate some dribble drives or at least slash to the basket.  But I don’t see Kennard as the same player.  He needs to watch as much Kyle Korver tape as possible as I see him being an off ball specialist.

 

[IlladelphParticipant]

 holefillers – I assume that you are comparing Nik Stauskas, Kyle Korver, and Luke Kennard because they are all about the same height, and are white.  But that’s where the similarity ends.  I’d break it down for you, but based on your previous posts, you’d just repeat yourself and become hostile.  No one is saying that Luke Kennard is going to be a primary ball-handler.  He didn’t do that at Duke, and he won’t do that in the NBA.  He will probably be a bit better than the standard 3-point spot-up specialist.  I do not think that he will be an elite NBA player.  I know that he was an elite offensive player in college, and I think that he projects to be a rotation player at the NBA level.  At any rate, I could see him as a late lottery pick.  Drafting Harry Giles, John Collins, and Zach Collins, ahead of Kennard would be a mistake.  Drafting Kyle Kuzma ahead of Kennard?  Bigly mistake.

[holefillers1Participant]

 If by white you mean less athletic, then yes.  The idea behind my post is that even though Stauskas has good ball handling and 3pt shooting his transition to the NBA has been a rocky one.  I will reiterate that there is more length amd more speed in the NBA but I have no beef with your reply. We just have a difference of opinion on Kennard.  Do you like the Jeff Hornacek comp?  I would like to here what your comparison is especially if you have him possibly going before Tatum.  Also please give a Tatum comp.

[nill650Participant]

 Lakers recorded him at a 38.5" max vert 

KNicks in the mix now at 8. I think that sleeper athleticism is now boosting his Manu comparisons.

[Afactor4Participant]

 Watched my boys all year. Can confirm Luke is smooth, great Bball IQ, footwork, and shot. It doesn’t surprise us Duke fans that his stock is rising. He likely won’t ever be an elite player, but his game definitely projects to be more than just a three point specialist. 

I salivate over the thought of the Spurs trading into the lottery to nab him.

 

 

[TarHeelRavenParticipant]

 I was absolutely shocked at how good Kennard was this year.  Coming out of high school I was positive he’d be too slow and too unathletic  to make any sort of impact on the college level.  He’s actually a very good athlete.  He has a handle and is far more than just a spot-up shooter.  What he lacks in physical gifts he makes up for with grit, will and obviously an insane work ethic.  He won’t be a star in the NBA but it definitely wouldn’e surprise me if he comes in and makes an impact immediately.  He could eventually be a starter down the road and I could see him making some big shots in his career.  This Carolina fan has a ton of respect for Luke Kennard.  

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