#OTRHoopsReport – Prospect Eval – Luke Kennard – June 14, 2014

With a defensive stance like this, Luke Kennard is ready to be a Blue Devil.
*Photo by Jon Lopez (Nike)
Editor’s Note: “Prospect Eval” is a regular piece designed to inform our readers of the staff’s most recent evaluation on a prospect.

By: @JLHemingwayPSB

 

Nike EYBL Boo Williams Evaluation: Luke Kennard (Franklin, Ohio), King James Shooting Stars – 2015

Kennard is a 6-foot-5 wing who specializes in stretching the floor with his shooting ability. Looking at other shooters in the class such as Andrew Fleming of Nashville, Tenn., Matthew McQuaid of Duncanville, Texas, and Rex Pflueger of San Juan Capistrano, Calif., Kennard could be the most diverse of all of these dead eye shooters. While he certainly has range to the NBA arc consistently, it is what he does in the mid-range that allows him to be a productive wing at a high level. His pull-up jumper and ability to finish with either hand on the floater gives him an advantage even against athletic defenders. The Ohio native also possesses nice vision to find cutting teammates when the defense does rotate. With a well rounded floor game like that, it is incorrect to merely call him a specialist.

Kennard gave his verbal commitment to Duke University this March, which gave Mike Kryzewski his first commitment in the class of 2015. With this verbal, the Blue Devils have a floor spacer who is athletic enough to guard his position at the other end. They also have a player who should complement any play-maker that they bring in either at the point or shooting guard position. This past weekend Kennard was named to the USA Basketball U18 National Team roster. A consensus top 50 player nationally, Kennard is without a doubt among the elite prospects in his class.

Highlight Video of Kennard complements of Courtside Films:

Jonathan Hemingway is a National Evaluator for the OTRHoopsReport. He is also the publisher of CoachHemi.com. He has been involved in the community since 1996 as a coach, camp director and evaluator. You can reach him via email at JonathanHemingway@PeachStateBasketball.com and follow him on twitter @JLHemingwayPSB