Luke Kennard Makes An Impression In NBA Summer Play

When it comes to Duke rookies in the NBA, Jayson Tatum has gotten most of the attention but Luke Kennard has done pretty well also.

In the Pistons game against the Mavericks, Kennard scored all of the overtime points for Detroit. The Pistons lost, but Kennard still made a solid impression.

Remember the other day when Detroit coach Stan Van Gundy got worked up and said Kennard better learn to play defense if he wanted to get on the floor?

Not so much after this week: Van Gundy sees him in the rotation and said this: “He’s clearly a guy with no fear. I don’t think anything’s going to bother him. He’s going to go out and play, so he’s got that kind of toughness.”

Meanwhile, not that it takes away from his great start, but former ACC rival Donovan Mitchell embarrassed Boston’s Jayson Tatum, leaving the former Duke star on his keister in the lane.

It’s part of anybody’s NBA education - things happen. The most important thing is what you do after.