LOS ANGELES — Luke Kennard wants you to imagine how that moment feels, soaking in the noise from every direction as officials’ whistles blow play dead after you send Crypto.com Arena into delirium with a 3-point dagger that places the playoff opener out of reach for the Houston Rockets.
Kennard wants you to understand the sensation, knowing that the Laker fans who once watched the likes of Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal dominate postseasons in the building that was originally known as Staples Center, are now cheering for you – the bench spot shooter, who embraced a starting role when a pair of high-scoring stars went down with injuries just as the team was playing its best basketball with the playoffs a few weeks away.
He’s already had a moment, his last-second 3-pointer to take down the Orlando Magic on the road in March, his first signature play as a Laker after they swapped Gabe Vincent and a future draft pick for him at the trade deadline. But this was the playoffs. This was the third of his five 3-pointers in the Lakers’ 107-98 Game 1 victory over the Rockets, the shot that established a 16-point lead and an arena-wide feeling that they could overcome the loss of Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves to soft-tissue injuries.
“It’s one of the greatest feelings for sure, to have that – to know they’re (cheering) for you and your team, and you know you did something special to help this team win,” Kennard told the Southern California News Group after Saturday night’s series-opening victory.
The Lakers acquired Kennard for his shooting – on a roster that could use the extra efficiency off the bench come the playoffs. Lakers coach JJ Redick ran after-timeout plays for the fellow Duke alumnus when he arrived, finding spots for Kennard to impact the game while he chased 50% shooting from behind the arc.
Redick started calling Kennard “the blender” of the offense over the next month, watching as the 6-foot-5 swingman forced defenses to rotate with his quick cuts inside, drawing extra defenders and leaving teammates – such as Rui Hachimura on Saturday – open to make plays.
On Saturday, it was Kennard’s shooting that took center stage as he scored a playoff career-high 27 points on 9-for-13 shooting and made all five of his 3-point attempts while helping steer the offense in Doncic’s absence.
The 29-year-old Kennard scored 11 of those points in the first quarter alone, benefiting from many of LeBron James’ eight first-quarter assists.
Kennard was never supposed to be the player stepping into the shoes of an MVP candidate like Doncic, or becoming a one-for-one swap for Reaves. The expectation of who Kennard needs to be for the Lakers has shifted dramatically over the course of 18 days.
“I feel like it just kind of completely flipped,” Kennard told SCNG.
“I was expecting to come in and obviously be a shooter and play off of the guys that we have, and just be great in that role,” Kennard continued. “And now, with (Doncic and Reaves injured) the opportunity and everything just kind of flipped. And again, I’ve embraced it. I’m comfortable with it.”
Kennard shared that every step of his journey has shaped what Saturday became. At 22, he filled in for the Detroit Pistons in a starting role in the 2019 playoffs when Blake Griffin began the first-round series sideline with an injury. Kennard led the Pistons in scoring in two of their four games as they were swept by the Milwaukee Bucks.
Now in his ninth NBA season, Kennard said earlier this week that he’s leaned on that experience this month – thinking back to when he was a “main guy” in a team’s offensive setup.
“I’ve been in situations like this, maybe not at this level, but I have played in the playoffs where I’ve been a playmaker, and had the ball in my hands once, but it was a long time ago,” Kennard told SCNG. “And I think now, everything kind of leading up to now – I’ve been prepared for moments like this, and I’m going to, you know, hopefully take advantage of it and and try to help as much as I can to lift everybody up.”
Kennard added: “It feels really good, and hopefully we can have more moments like that.”
Redick saw that – the playmaking mentality – in Kennard on Saturday night.
“He played a fantastic basketball game,” said Redick, who took Kennard aside after practice on Friday, showing him a handful of maneuvers on the perimeter.
And when it comes to Kennard as the blender?
Well, Redick said his starting guard did his part.
“His ability to just kind of get to the next thing and turn the corner on off-ball stuff and touch the paint for us, it just, there’s a snowball effect to that,” Redick said. “He played a really good game.”