Being the man who got sent back to the Los Angeles Lakers in exchange for Gabe Vincent was always going to give Luke Kennard a head start on making himself a fan favorite. There was a low bar for fans to grow fond of the new arrival. Kennard has blown it out of the water all the same.
Lakers fans had grown tired of watching Vincent struggle on the court. For all the good will the veteran guard had behind the scenes, there was no forgiving the relentless string of lackluster performances. Kennard has quickly established himself as a reliable producer by contrast.
BREAKING 🚨Luke Kennard goes down in history as the only shooter acquired by the Lakers to not succumb to the Lakers curse
— 🏆LakersGuru🏆 (@GuruLakers) March 2, 2026
It goes beyond simply the offensive production. The new Lakers sharpshooter clearly enjoys being in Los Angeles and being a member of a storied franchise. That much was obvious in a postgame interview with Kennard after the team's latest outing.
"I've loved it," Kennard said. "It's great when we win, obviously. Playing for the Lakers, it's the highest level you can be at. You wear this across your chest with some pride. I've taken pride in that since I've gotten here. I'm excited to be here, and I'm excited to see where we can go."
Luke Kennard is putting everything he has into this Lakers stint
The first 10 games have looked pretty good for the veteran marksman. Thus far in purple and gold, Kennard is averaging 10.2 points, 2.5 rebounds, and 2.1 assists in 22.4 minutes per game. That comes with some ridiculous shooting splits of 61-48-91.
Is Kennard the perfect role player? No.
There will always be limitations that come with the defensive side of the basketball court for him. Another complaint some have already had is Kennard not shooting enough. That ridiculous 3-point percentage would look a whole lot better if it was coming on more than 2.9 attempts per game.
Is there truth in some of those talking points? Absolutely. Has that stopped Lakers fans from endlessly hyping up their new guy? Absolutely not.
The way some Lakers fans will talk about Kennard, you would think he found the cure to cancer. Ironically, that is also the running joke fans will have about what the media asks of Luka Doncic after putting up a monster performance and still losing.
For Kennard, this really is about timing, opportunity, performance, and attitude. All of those things aligned perfectly and the new Laker has ticked each of the boxes just about as well as he could. That will instantly make anyone a fan favorite.