Saw some highlights of him and this young fella can fill up the basket. I think he will average between 16-18 ppg for Duke this season.
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Kennard won't score that much as a freshman but he's going to score. He reminds me a bit of Scheyer. He does so many things well that it's really hard to keep him off the court.
We have 4 returners who saw significant minutes. Put Thornton in the lineup with a quill pen. That means somebody else has to play. Luke and Brandon are candidates as are Obi and Chase. Luke is not a defensive stopper, so I'm thinking it's a solid hypothesis to assume Luke will be asked to score. Time won't be an issue IMO.
K has always played the best player. I am not saying time is an issue, I just don't expect Kennard to outplay the players ahead of him. If I am wrong, it will mean good things for Duke. I think if he was an only option he would excel, but he is on a team that will not rely on him and will develop his game. This use to be the expectations of players coming out of high school but now we judge a player's success based on being a OAD.
I think he will have a Taylor King type frosh season where some games he hardly plays if at all and others (probably mostly while winning big) he comes in and hits 6 of 7 3's and everyone is wondering why he doesn't play more. I do hope he proves himself to the point where when Duke needs offense because the D isn't playing great he can come in for Matt Jones and have Grayson and Luke in at the same time. Again, that's all on Luke to show that.
Kennard isn't a top 10 player by national rankings. The defense played on him and that is required of him will be a transition. Kennard has much more potential than Matt so I hope he ends up playing more because he earned it, but I would bet that Matt plays more because K is about chemistry, and defense first. Look at how little grayson played last year. You have to earn it with K, and he definitely favors seniority over potential.Other than seniority and defense, why would Matt Jones be in the game more than Kennard?
Do you think he see's time at PG to spell Thornton in a role similar to scheyer in 2010?Precedent with young teams shows that if a frosh proves it he plays. I think Luke will play a lot more than you guys think.
"I think he will have a Taylor King type frosh season"
Comparing King to Kennard lis like comparing a cannon to a tank. One can have a powerful impact but is stationary, the other is mobile...
Luke is a ten times better athlete than Taylor was though. Kid can throw it down. He can also slash and is more of a scorer where Taylor was a shooter.I'm talking productivity/stats only, I do not see any of King's baggage/issues. Both are lefties, gun slingers, can light it up, and I think will struggle on D. Now I expect Kennard to work his butt off, be a great student athlete, and improve over the years.
again, not saying they are the exact same just I would expect similar productivity (my take). Some games hardly any time or none, and other games he hits for 15-20 like it's nothing. I think the D will hold him back from playing consistently high minutes. Hope i'm wrong as he can light it up.Luke is a ten times better athlete than Taylor was though. Kid can throw it down. He can also slash and is more of a scorer where Taylor was a shooter.
Some games hardly any time or none, and other games he hits for 15-20 like it's nothing.
Completely agree. Great post.I think Kennard is an excellent prospect who, at the same stage, is a better prospect than either Scheyer or Taylor King. He reminds me a lot of Scheyer because of his basketball IQ, tough shotmaking off the dribble, and length -- but with clearly better explosiveness and athleticism, and a better frame to put on weight. With that said, I doubt he'll put up huge numbers as a freshman because of the depth of talent around him.
With regard to the post about Matt, I think that partly misses the point. Matt will play a role. He'll be asked to defend the opposition's best wing / combo guard, bring some toughness on the boards from the wing position (which I think will be a bit of an issue b/c of who we have at the 4/5), provide on court leadership, and make timely glue-plays -- which he had a knack for doing. Regardless of how much we all like scoring, there's no real substitute for what Matt can do on the court. The real trouble for Kennard is not Matt IMO. It's Grayson and Brandon Ingram -- who will likely play the same role that Luke is suited to play as a true frosh. In the end, I think kennard plays a decent amount at the point (10+ minutes) and some minutes on the wings -- but I'd be very surprised if he's above 20 min. per next season (barring injuries of course).
I just cant get over how interesting this year is going to play out. So much flexibility and versatility on this roster. Going to be completely different than last year and i think we'll play very similar to how we played with Rodney and Jabari on the wings. I think everything will go through Grayson and BI on offense. On defense we should be really really good (the top flaw of that 2013-14 squad).
Certainly won't be as reliant on them as we were on Jabari and Rodney, but I do think the offense initially goes through those guys. Thornton should be a pretty good playmaker for us, creating opportunities for our other role players- Matty, Luke etc. It'll be interesting for sure, but like show said, no one really knows. Just so much flexibility, let's see how it plays out.We'll see, but I don't think we'll be nearly as reliant on Grayson / BI as we were on Rodney / Jabari because (i) Grayson / BI are not as good at this point, and (ii) we have more talent around them. Notably, unlike that team, I think Thornton gives us a true playmaker / creator at the PG position who can also defend the position, and we've also got a lot more depth and ability in the post. Also, I think our key role guys of Jones, Jefferson, and Plumlee will be significantly better than their counterparts from 13-14 (i.e., Thornton, Dawkins, Hairston, and a Soph. version of Jefferson).