Herrington: After near-trade, Luke Kennard has thrived. What’s next?
Memphis Grizzlies guard Luke Kennard (10) shoots ahead of Golden State Warriors guard Brandin Podziemski (2) in the first half of an NBA basketball game Thursday, Dec. 19, 2024, in Memphis. (Brandon Dill/AP Photo file)
Chris Herrington
Chris Herrington covers the Memphis Grizzlies and writes about Memphis culture, food, and civic life.
As long as Luke Kennard plays for the Memphis Grizzlies — a remaining tenure that could yet be measured in days, months or years — he may never have a more exciting night than March 24, 2023.
A few weeks after showing up as a trade-deadline acquisition, Kennard went from hot to nuclear, draining a franchise-record 10 3-pointers for a career-high 30 points as the Grizzlies smoked the Houston Rockets and clinched a playoff berth.
It was the kind of game that felt like watching someone have an out-of-body experience. This was the night when the bellowing celebration “LUUUUUUKE” first reverberated through FedExForum.
But Kennard may have had a better, if less memorable, night last week. Or maybe a couple of them.
Kennard’s 50 points across back-to-back wins over Charlotte and New Orleans marked his first consecutive 20-point games since 2019. In making seven 3-pointers in each game, Kennard’s 14 total triples in consecutive games was his most since he’d followed that 10 against Houston in 2023 with four in his next game.
But 14 3-pointers over two games is where the comparison ends.
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