The Los Angeles Lakers made a rather under-the-radar addition ahead of the 2026 NBA Trade Deadline. While the attention was largely focused on playing like Ivica Zubac, Anthony Davis, James Harden, Darius Garland, and Jaren Jackson Jr. changing teams, the Lakers kept their powder dry for the summer and instead chose to upgrade a perimeter position in the rotation by swapping Gabe Vincent (and a future second-round pick) in a deal with the Atlanta Hawks to acquire Luke Kennard.
No one should be under the illusion that Kennard makes the Lakers into a title-quality team on his own, but the early returns were quite strong. In his debut, Kennard was a key factor, scoring 10 points in 26 minutes in what became a six-point win over the Golden State Warriors. In his 26 minutes, the Lakers had a team true shooting percentage of 67.8 percent, and, overall, the shot quality was off the charts, in part due to the generational gravity that Kennard presents.
Luke Kennard is the elite wing shooter the Lakers desperately needed
While his contributions have largely come in a relatively modest role, Kennard has been the most accurate 3-point shooter in the NBA this season. The former Duke standout is shooting a blistering 49.7 percent from beyond the arc in 2025-26, and while that particular figure might be unsustainable for any player in the league, Kennard might be the closest thing to a player who has "true talent" at that level.
In fact, Kennard is the most accurate 3-point shooter in the NBA since arriving in the NBA in 2017, making 44.2 percent of his 3-point attempts in his career. That number is only rising, including an incredible 45.9 percent clip since the 2020-21 season, and if Kennard can stay atop the list in 2025-26, it will be his third NBA 3-point accuracy title in the last five seasons.
Still, there is an ever-present knock on Kennard in that he doesn't shoot enough. That was the case earlier this season with the Hawks, as he attempted only 3.0 3-pointers per game until Christmas. Kennard's unwillingness to let it fly sometimes negated the realities of his shooting talent, but in his last weeks with the Hawks, the governor came off for Kennard.
The Hawks were unbeaten when Kennard connected on at least four 3-pointers in Atlanta, and he simply went ballistic at the end of his Hawks tenure. Over his final 18 games with the Hawks, he shot 59.4 percent (!) from long distance, shooting more on a per-minute basis and having a clear positive impact on Atlanta's offensive process. That stretch perhaps drew the attention of the Lakers, but Kennard is already acknowledging that he knows the Lakers want him to be aggressive.
"I like to try to make the right play at all times,” Kennard said over the weekend, via Law Murray of The Athletic. “I feel like I know the game of basketball very well, and I will shoot it. I will be aggressive. I know that’s what they want me to do. I’m just having conversations with those guys, and I’m excited to do that.”
Lakers head coach JJ Redick called Kennard "one of the best shooters in the NBA" and also said plainly that he will "highly encourage him to shoot more." There is a bit of extra synergy in that Kennard played the same position as Redick at Duke, but in Los Angeles, the focus is more on the opportunities he will be presented on the court. Kennard also told Murray that he projects "a lot of open 3s" in playing with Luka Doncic and LeBron James.
“Obviously, Luka and Bron, they attract so much attention, and they’re awesome," Kennard shared. "They can play really well. Those guys attract so much attention to other teams on the offensive end, and for me, it’s spacing the floor, making the right plays at all times.”
It is notable that Kennard is more than a pure specialist, which is part of why he earned an eight-figure free agent contract with the Hawks this summer. He is an underrated playmaker, averaging 6.2 assists per 100 possessions over the last three seasons (151 games). Kennard is not a strong defender, but he does compete, and while he will probably be a target in certain lineups, the Lakers may need to lean into an offense-first focus because of the realities that emerge from having Doncic, James, and Austin Reaves on the same roster without a dominant interior rim deterrent.
In the end, Kennard may not change the course of things for the 2025-26 Lakers, but he does project to be a meaningful upgrade over Vincent. And, if nothing else, Kennard is the kind of shooter that terrifies opposing defenses, with the ability to play well off LA's trio of creators and make a lot of open looks over the last third of the campaign.
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