Shoot the ball — that is what Luke Kennard is being told to do as much as possible with the Los Angeles Lakers. JJ Redick wanted the newest member of his team to let it fly. His debut performance and postgame comments made one believe the message was received.
After saying goodbye to Gabe Vincent, Redick explained he wanted Kennard to not pass up shots with the Lakers. In his debut performance on Saturday, the first made bucket in purple and gold for the newest sharpshooter in Los Angeles was a contested 3-point shot. That was a great sign.
The Lakers ended up beating the Golden State Warriors in a competitive 105-99 ball game. Kennard finished with 10 points, shooting 4-of-7 from the field and 2-of-4 from beyond the arc. It was an encouraging first outing for the veteran scorer and Kennard made it clear he understood the vision.
"I like to try to make the right play at all times," Kennard said. "I feel like I know the game of basketball very well, and I will shoot it. I will be aggressive. I know that's what they want me to do. I'm just having conversations with those guys, and I'm excited to do that."
The Lakers didn’t trade for Luke Kennard to be passive on offense
Kennard is shooting just 3.3 attempts from distance during the 2025-26 season. While the four attempts taken on Saturday will not greatly boost those averages up, it was a good start.
The Lakers need the version of Kennard who puts up strong volume. With Los Angeles only posting 35.0 percent as a team from 3-point land on the year, capable shooters need to help bring that number up. Their newest marksman is one of those players.
Kennard has seasons of showcasing solid volume. His best year was 2023-24 with the Memphis Grizzlies, shooting 11.6 attempts per 100 possessions. By comparison, the Lakers wing is only shooting 7.4 attempts per 100 possessions this season.
Was Kennard's shooting percentage significantly worse with the added volume? Not at all.
Kennard is leading the NBA this season with 49.7 percent from triple. In 2023-24, with career-high volume, the former Grizzly still knocked his deep shots down at an incredibly effective rate of 45.0 percent.
It was encouraging to hear Kennard says the right things to the media about hearing Redick's message. The first game was a good start. The Lakers need him to keep building from here.