Los Angeles Lakers guard Luke Kennard thought his late-game heroics in a 105-104 victory over the Orlando Magic encapsulated the value he brings to L.A. on the court.
Kennard drilled a three-pointer with 0.6 seconds remaining to extend his team’s winning streak to nine games.
Savoring the moment, the veteran sharpshooter said it “feels good.”
“Just being part of a new team, obviously you’re building new relationships, trying to find your role, what you do,” he told reporters after the game. “But they brought me here for a reason, and that was to shoot. And it feels good. Feels good the way that everybody reacted, obviously.”
Even with the result hanging in the balance, Lakers star LeBron James thought he and his team had a “sense of calmness.”
“There’s no pressure,” he said. “We’re just calm in those moments. We know we can get stops, and we know we can make plays. And we did that.”
The four-time MVP was similarly confident when he saw the ball heading toward Kennard on the pivotal inbounds play.
“When I turned and saw the ball was in his hands on a wide-open three, I pretty much knew it was cash,” he said, per the Los Angeles Times‘ Thuc Nhi Nguyen.
The rationale behind acquiring Kennard was clear. Floor-spacing has been an issue for the Lakers all season. At the time of the trade, they ranked 23rd in made threes (11.8 per game) and 21st in three-point percentage (34.9).
Kennard is one of the NBA’s most potent long-range specialists. Only Steve Kerr has a higher career three-point percentage, and he’s on pace to lead the league in the category for the third time.
While the Lakers have been rolling, the southpaw was in the midst of a relatively barren spell. He had combined to go 3-of-14 from beyond the arc in Los Angeles’ previous six games before Saturday. He credited coach JJ Redick with helping to get him in the right place mentally.
“The last few games [I was] not playing up to my standards, what I think I should be,” Kennard said, per Nguyen. “And I want to help, I want to make an impact whenever I can. He just told me to be yourself and move on from all that.”
The 29-year-old is a free agent this summer. Based on how his time in purple and gold has started, the Lakers will be keen to ensure he doesn’t go anywhere.
