Luke Kennard’s arrival gives the Phoenix Suns a major shooting weapon, but the fit won’t be automatic.
The 30-year-old comes in as a strong free-agent addition, yet he lands on a roster whose projected starting five has obvious spacing concerns. Devin Booker, Jalen Green, Dillon Brooks, Miles Bridges, and Mark Williams bring plenty of scoring punch, but not an elite 3-point threat to stretch the floor.
That puts Kennard in a central role right away, potentially as the sixth man, with the job of helping open things up for a group of 20-point-a-night scorers. He’ll have to do it in tighter quarters than he’s used to.
Last season with the Los Angeles Lakers, he benefited from sharing the floor with Luka Doncic and LeBron James, two players who draw heavy attention and make life easier for shooters with their passing. That kind of setup won’t be waiting for him in The Valley.
The challenge is even sharper when you consider what opponents already know about Kennard. He’s going to live on the 3-point line, and defenses will plan for that from the jump. He shot 47.8 percent from deep last season, leading the entire NBA in made attempts from beyond the arc, but matching that number again would be a tall order.
There is at least some reason for the Suns to feel good about his track record. His numbers were even better early in the season with the Atlanta Hawks, when he knocked down an outrageous 49.7 percent of his 3.2 attempts per game.
So how do the Suns help him? One answer is pairing Kennard with drivers and true point guards who can create the kind of space he needs. Collin Gillespie and Jordan Goodwin fit that idea, though using them likely means Booker or Jalen Green would be sitting.
That comes with its own tradeoffs. Kennard is not a strong defender, Gillespie can be targeted because of his size even though he brings effort, and Goodwin is one of the best defenders on the roster but doesn’t provide consistent scoring the way many of his teammates do.
It leaves Jordan Ott with a real lineup puzzle as training camp approaches. Still, having one of the league’s best shooters and trying to squeeze every bit of value out of him is the kind of problem plenty of teams would love to have.
In Other News...
Suns May Already Have A Surprise Kennard Backup Plan
The Suns brought in Luke Kennard on a two-year deal because of what his shooting can do to the spacing around the roster, and that move naturally comes with some pressure to translate right away. Phoenix is clearly betting that another perimeter threat can help its offense, but it also knows how quickly a rotation can shift if a new signing does not settle in the way the team expects.
Collin Gillespie is the name to watch if that happens. He is already a familiar piece for Phoenix, and his value goes beyond just making shots, with the Suns liking his defensive edge, consistency and ability to handle the ball in different spots. For a bench group that needs reliability, his versatility gives the team an option it can turn to without changing the shape of the second unit too much. [Read more 🡒]
Suns May Have A Defensive Lineup Built For Tough Matchups
Jordan Ott may have found a lineup he can lean on when the games tighten up and the matchups get tougher. The Suns already finished ninth in defensive rating last season, and the idea now is to build on that identity with a group that can pressure the ball, switch more cleanly and make life harder for opposing scorers.
Goodwin, Booker and Brooks give Phoenix a perimeter base that can compete on the wing, while the frontcourt mix adds size and activity behind them. If Ott goes this direction, it would give the Suns a more defense-first option to turn to against elite opponents, with the kind of length and toughness that could change the tone of a possession. [Read more 🡒]
Clippers Trade Buzz Around Darius Garland Just Hit A Real Snag
The Darius Garland speculation that briefly connected the Suns to the Clippers has already run into a wall. After Los Angeles drew NBA penalties, Phoenix was floated as a possible landing spot in the rumor mill, but a Suns insider said there have been no discussions between the teams and doesnt expect any in the near future, cooling down a storyline that had gained traction only because of the circumstances around the Clippers.
For Phoenix, the bigger priority appears to be internal rather than opportunistic. The Suns are preparing to give Jalen Green every chance to show he can fit alongside Devin Booker this season, with Dillon Brooks also part of the mix as the team looks at its current core before chasing outside help. Amid all the trade chatter, that development track has become the more immediate focus for the front office. [Read more 🡒]