Kennard no longer Duke afterthought
GREENVILLE, S.C — To most observers, Luke Kennard’s sophomore season has been a surprise. He was an afterthought in all the preseason hype of Duke as a super team, overshadowed by the Grayson Allen Player of the Year talk, the sky-high expectations surrounding freshmen Jayson Tatum, Marques Bolden and Harry Giles.
But Mike Krzyzewski saw this potential early on, before Kennard would be the Blue Devils most consistent player, and keep them afloat through injuries, Allen’s tripping issues, and the Duke coach’s time away from the team following back surgery.
“In one of our innersquad scrimmages before Jayson and Marques got hurt, I think Luke scored 47 points,” Krzyzewski said Thursday, as the second seed in the East region pre- pared to face No. 15 Troy in an opening-round game Friday night at Bon Secours Wellness Arena in Greenville, S.C.. “And I said, well, he might be pretty good. So it doesn’t surprise me what Luke has done.”
Kennard, arguably the most improved player in the country, has nearly doubled his numbers from a year ago across the board, averaging 20.1 points, 5.3 rebounds, 2.5 assists and shooting 44 percent from 3point range. According to the Las Vegas betting company Bovada.lv, Kennard has the best odds to be named the Most Outstanding Player of the Final Four, at 8-1.
The 6-foot-6 southpaw guard from Franklin, Ohio began attacking more and relying less on his potent jump shot, finding ways to create his own shot, making him tougher to guard.
Most importantly, he focused on himself. Kennard didn’t worry about his role, what new players were coming into the program, what it could mean to him. His focus was on improving and making sure Duke (27-8) won as many games as it could.
“He’s emulated what it means to be immersed in ‘us’ and because of that he’s grown beautifully,” senior forward Amile Jefferson said.