The NBA trade deadline has officially passed and while the Los Angeles Lakers didn’t swing in major deals, they were able to trade for Luke Kennard from the Atlanta Hawks, one of the most accurate 3-point shooters in NBA history.
Kennard should immediately be able to step in and give the Lakers an absolute sniper that will help space the floor for his teammates. He is also a former teammate of Marcus Smart and Jake LaRavia with the Memphis Grizzlies.
The deadline always brings about some anxious times for players as many aren’t sure whether they will be dealt away or not, and that can be difficult for some to deal with. Smart has been in the league 12 years and is no stranger to the seeing his name in the rumor mill around this time and he believes each player handles things differently.
“I think for everybody it affects them differently,” Smart said after the Lakers’ win over the Philadelphia 76ers. “Some people it is a sigh of relief and others it’s just another day for em. Just being able to understand whatever helps you get over it, whatever helps you cope with that. Understanding it and doing it day in and day out.”
And as for the addition of Kennard, Smart is excited to play with him again and see what he can bring to this Lakers team.
“It was a pleasure to play with Luke in Memphis,” Smart added. “One of the better shooters in this league. He comes to work every day and I’m excited to see him out here with us again, me and Jake, and kinda keep going what we had in Memphis.”
Kennard is a career 44.2% 3-point shooter and this year is leading the entire NBA with a career-high 49.7% mark from deep. Playing off of playmakers like Luka Doncic, Austin Reaves and LeBron James should only result in some great looks for him and he has shown he can knock them down at a high rate.
Smart has seen up close what kind of impact Kennard can have on a team and his addition could pay real dividends for the Lakers through the rest of the season.
Lakers coach JJ Redick plans to tell Luke Kennard to shoot more
While Luke Kennard is one of the best shooters the league has ever seen, he has never been the most high-volume shooter averaging just 4.4 attempts from deep per game. But Lakers coach JJ Redick plans on pushing him to shoot even more.
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