The Los Angeles Lakers just learned that Luke Kennard can be a negative in the playoffs, especially when he’s not making shots. They dropped Game 5 to the Houston Rockets, despite Austin Reaves returning from injury. The Lakers struggled to make shots and generate offense after the first quarter. There was no bigger problem than Kennard on Wednesday night.
The 6’5 guard scored just one on zero of four shooting from the field in Game 5. The playmaking boost he showed when Luka Doncic and Reaves were both out was gone. Kennard finished with two assists and was benched for AR at halftime.
The 29-year-old has seen his regular-season minutes go down in three straight trips to the postseason. His defensive issues are well-documented. If Kennard isn’t making a significant offensive impact, playing him is a problem. The Lakers learned that in Game 5 and now head back to Houston on Friday night.
Lakers learn about Luke Kennard’s playoff struggles in Game 5 loss
Kennard was outstanding in the first two games of this series. He put up 50 points and was eight of 11 from 3-point range. In the three games since, Kennard is one of 11 on his long range tries, and the Lakers have lost his minutes in each contest.
This is no change. The Grizzlies were outscored by 18 points in Kennard’s 81 minutes in last year’s sweep at the hands of the eventual champion Thunder. The 6’5 wing made just two of his nine 3-pointers and never scored more than five points in a game.
Kennard saw his playing time decrease throughout the first-round playoff series against the Lakers in 2023. He missed Game 6 with an injury, but played just 13.6 and 17.6 in Games 4 and 5 after averaging 25.0 a night in the first three.
It is difficult to hide him on defense. That puts extra pressure on Kennard to space the floor and make a significant offensive impact. The Lakers needed a miracle comeback to win Game 3 with the 6’5 wing struggling. They lost Games 4 and 5 as the issues continued.
Fans can't be surprised. Kennard is in his ninth NBA season and has played in the postseason with four different teams. This has happened all the way back to 2019. Kennard was blistering hot in the first playoff series, but the Pistons were destroyed in his minutes.
The Los Angeles Lakers desperately need Luke Kennard to space the floor and make a few plays with Luka Doncic out. They got Austin Reaves back in Game 5, but the purple and gold are still without their MVP candidate. Kennard has to be better moving forward. If not, the Lakers are going to struggle.
They let the Rockets back into this series after being up 3-0. Things head back to Houston for Game 6, and the Rockets can even things up with a win. The pressure is on the Lakers to close it out. They need more from Kennard. All fans can do is stay tuned and hope the veteran wing starts drilling shots again. If history tells the tale, it won’t happen, and the rest of the NBA won’t be surprised.
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