The Los Angeles Lakers’ only trade-deadline addition, guard Luke Kennard, is quickly earning praise from head coach JJ Redick for the way he ignites the team’s ball movement.
Speaking after the Lakers’ blowout win over the Golden State Warriors on Feb. 28, 2026 at Chase Center in San Francisco, Redick said Kennard’s shooting forces defenses into constant rotations—what the coach called “starting the blender.”
“Luke Kennard just starts the blender for us,” Redick said. “We frankly have not had a ton of blender starters. Luka [Dončić] gets two on the ball, AR [Austin Reaves] will get two on the ball, LeBron [James] will get two on the ball, but just to be able to create a closeout and then make the right read and right play from there—Luke was huge for our offense tonight.”
Immediate Impact off the Bench
The Lakers entered the night ranked 29th out of 30 teams in bench scoring. Kennard, acquired from Atlanta and playing on an expiring contract, has helped address that weakness with reliable three-point shooting and quick decision-making.
“He’s got a really good ‘we-score’ mentality,” Redick explained. “A play can be for him, but he’s going to hunt out the best shot for the team, and all the guys benefit when the ball moves.”
Redick detailed one after-timeout sequence in the second half: Kennard drilled a step-back three after creating a closeout, then on the next possession read a top-block from Warriors guard Pat Spencer, screened his own defender into a teammate’s man, and freed Jake LaRavia for a layup. “That’s just connective offense,” Redick said.
Future Fit Remains Open
General manager Rob Pelinka noted after the deadline that the team remained “disciplined” to preserve future flexibility, leaving Kennard’s long-term status uncertain. Still, his performance alongside Dončić, Reaves and James has already drawn strong endorsements.
“When Luke came in, it felt seamless,” Dončić said recently. “I trust him completely when he’s open.”
Whether the Lakers move to keep Kennard beyond this season will hinge on finances, but his early returns have provided an immediate spark to a unit that needed one.
Source: Lakers Nation
