NBA Draft results: Pistons fans are going to love Luke Kennard’s jump shot

With the 12th pick in the 2017 NBA draft, the Pistons drafted Luke Kennard. If there’s one thing he does better than anyone else who will be picked on Thursday, it’s shooting.

Shooting has never been more important in the NBA, and Kennard’s ability to nail jumpers — plus his all-around offensive versatility that goes beyond spotting up — saw him rocket up the draft boards in the last few months. A year ago, Kennard was just a contributing piece on a Duke team. Last year, though, Kennard helped save the Blue Devils’ season by emerging as the go-to option — even on one of the most loaded Duke classes we’ve ever seen.

Nobody saw Kennard coming on as strong as he did, and we didn’t expect him to rise so quickly in the NBA draft either. But Kennard did both those things, and now he’ll try to do the same in the NBA.

The first thing to love about Kennard is, of course, his jump shot. It’s a left-handed stroke, quick and precise, that he can get off in virtually any situation. It’s one of those jumpers that you could watch for 30 minutes as he knocks down shot after shot.

But while Kennard’s a dead-eye shooter, he’s not just a shooter. He saved Duke’s season by emerging as a scorer from the three-point line in, showing remarkable scoring instincts from anywhere on the floor. At 6’6, Kennard has size to rise over or bump defenders away from him for mid-range shots, something that should separate him from other shooters who only had average athleticism like Jimmer Fredette.

Though he wasn’t asked to bear the load at Duke last season, Kennard frequently flashed his passing skills and an excellent handle with the ball. In the pick-and-roll, Kennard is a weapon, hitting the roll man and moving the ball without turning it over very much at all.

Kennard, for all his offensive gifts, hasn’t shown much defensively. With his 6’6 frame, he’s rarely giving up size against his opponents, but he doesn’t really have the foot speed to keep up with point guards. Against bigger wings, Kennard is average at best.

The subpar athleticism could show up for Kennard on the offensive end, too. We love his instincts and creativity, but it’s certainly possible that larger physical wings at the NBA level could swallow him up. It’s something that happened in Duke’s season-ending loss — Kennard managed 11 points but only shot 1-of-6 from the field. (He did go 8-of-8 from the free-throw line.)

It’s not Kennard’s fault — maybe besides deciding to play at Duke — but he was probably our favorite meme of the NCAA tournament. After being upset about a call, Kennard reacted like this.

It was too perfect.