LA Clippers: 2020 Virtual NBA Draft recap and analysis

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Dec 1, 2019; Detroit, MI, USA; Detroit Pistons guard Luke Kennard (5) passes the ball during the first quarter against the San Antonio Spurs at Little Caesars Arena. Mandatory Credit: Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports /

The LA Clippers traded a steady right hand for a stable left hand early on.

Although most LA Clippers fans were upset that a well-loved player headed for Brooklyn, there were those few that were excited that Luke Kennard was going to be dawning a Clippers uniform come next season.

With his first three seasons in Detroit, Kennard made a pretty nice impression on most of the Pistons fans. Averaging 9.8 points, 2.2 assists, and 2.8 rebounds per season, he has steadily improved. This last season was his best, and he bumped his average points from 9.7 up to 15.8 per game.

A big plus to the addition of Kennard is having another player that can turn on a magic switch in the 4th quarter. Shamet was fantastic in the 2019 Playoffs, but he fell well short in 2020, so adding someone like Kennard puts someone behind the rest of the squad in case they all fall off hard again in the 4th like the multiple times they did it last season.

With .399 and .441 in the three pointer and field goal percentage departments respectively last season, he managed to make some big buckets during the latter half of games. LA is hoping to see that translate over to his new team, but there are still some worries about this pick up that have to be recognized before next season.

The head office in LA has taken a slight gamble with this trade, and they are really hoping that not only does Kennard stay healthy, but he also keeps his numbers up from last season. He did a lot better than Shamet in much less time on the court, but there isn’t a whole lot that certifies that his improved play carries over from a struggling team to an average playoff contender.

The biggest part of this team that is yet to be seen is the coaching style of the new head coach, Tyronn Lue. If he manages to find that perfect spot for Luke, even an additional consistent 10 points every night would improve the Clippers. They wouldn’t be at the caliber they need to be to finally make a far push into the playoffs yet in the Western Conference, but they definitely would be knocking at the door to make that bid.

In order to try and push the team over that hump, the Clippers also tried their hand at getting a fantastic draft steal like last year, and they started their efforts quite a few picks early at pick 33.