Kennard NBA Draft Profile

Kennard NBA draft Profile: Get the latest news, stats and video on Luke Kennard

Introduction

Zion Williamson is one of the most hyped prospects in recent memory and rightfully so. He’s an incredible athlete with a 6’7″, 285-pound frame, and he has the skill level of a player much smaller than him. He’s an elite rebounder and shot blocker who can also score inside and out. There are very few players in the NBA with his combination of size, strength, athleticism, and skill.

Williamson is almost certain to be the number one pick in the 2019 NBA Draft and he has the potential to be a franchise player for years to come.

Early Life and High School Career

Tahjere McCall is an American professional basketball player for the GRand Rapids Drive of the NBA G League He played college basketball for the Tennessee State Tigers.

McCall was born in Camden, New Jersey. He played high school basketball at Woodrow Wilson high school in his hometown, where he was a four-year starter and led the team to a state championship as a senior.

College Career

Frank Mason III played point guard for the Jayhawks from 2013-2017. As a freshman, he started 29 games and averaged 5.5 points per game He increased his scoring to 12.6 points per game as a sophomore and 16.9 points per game as a junior. As a senior, he averaged 20.9 points per game and was named the National Player of the Year by the Associated Press. He led Kansas to four straight Big 12 regular season titles and two Final Fours during his time with the Jayhawks.

Professional Career

Dwyane Wade was drafted fifth overall by the Miami Heat in the 2003 NBA Draft He was immediately thrust into a starting role and responded by averaging 16.2 points, 4.0 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game earning him NBA Rookie of the Year honors.

Wade’s star continued to rise in his second season, as he averaged 24.1 points, 5.2 rebounds and 6.8 assists per game He also helped lead the Heat to their first ever NBA Finals appearance, where they lost to the Dallas Mavericks in six games.

The following season, Wade upped his averages to 27.2 points, 7.5 rebounds and 6.7 assists per game as he led the Heat back to the NBA Finals This time, they faced off against the Detroit Pistons and won in six games, giving Wade his first ever NBA Championship

NBA Draft

In the 2019 NBA draft Kennard was selected 12th overall by the Charlotte Hornets

Kennard was widely considered one of the best shooters in the draft. He has good size for an off-guard at 6’6″, and is an above-average athlete. Kennard is also a proficient playmaker, averaging 4.1 assists per game during his college career.

NBA Career

Jamal Kennard was drafted by the Portland Trail Blazers in the first round of the 1998 NBA draft He played in the NBA for six seasons, averaging 5.4 points and 2.2 assists per game. He also played for the Seattle SuperSonics Detroit Pistons and Charlotte Bobcats

International Career

Before he was drafted by the Brooklyn Nets with the 29th overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft Kennard played professionally for two years in Turkey and Israel.

In his first season with Darussafaka of the Turkish basketball Super League, Kennard averaged 11.6 points and 3.1 rebounds in 22 games. He then helped the team win the 2018 Turkish Cup, averaging 16.8 points and 4.4 rebounds in eight games during the tournament.

Kennard signed with Hapoel Eilat of the Israeli Premier League midway through the 18-19 season In 15 games with Eilat, he averaged 13.9 points, 5.5 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game.

Personal Life

Franklin “Frank” Kennard Jr. (born February 1, 1994) is an American professional basketball player for the Detroit Pistons of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Duke University Blue Devils

Kennard was born in Longview, Texas to Donna and Franklin Kennard Sr. He has three siblings, twins Jordan and Justin, and sister Ashley. His father played football at Texas Tech University Growing up, Kennard’s favorite players were Kobe Bryant and Dwyane Wade He began playing organized basketball in fifth grade.

Awards and Accolades

Tyus Jones was named the Most Outstanding Player of the 2015 NCAA tournament after leading Duke to the National Championship

Jones was also named to the All-Tournament team of the Big Ten tournament in 2016, after he helped lead Michigan State to the title.

Legacy

As the son of a Hall of Famer, expectations have always been high for Duane Kennard. He was a McDonald’s All-American coming out of high school but he struggled to live up to the hype in college. Now, he’s hoping to revive his career in the NBA.

Kennard comes from a Basketball Family His father, James, was a superstar at the University of Kentucky and a first-round pick in the NBA Draft His uncle, Pat Riley is one of the most successful coaches in NBA history

Duane Kennard was a highly touted recruit coming out of high school He was ranked in the top-20 nationally by most recruiting services and was named a McDonald’s All-American. However, he failed to live up to the hype in college.

Kennard averaged just 8.5 points and 3.5 rebounds per game as a freshman at Kentucky. He saw his production dip even further as a sophomore, averaging just 6.9 points and 2.8 rebounds per game He decided to transfer to UCF after his sophomore year in hopes of reviving his career.

At UCF, Kennard finally began to live up to his potential. He averaged 16 points and 6 rebounds per game as a junior and 17 points and 7 rebounds per game as a senior. He helped lead UCF to an NCAA Tournament berth as a senior and was named first-team all-conference.

Now, Kennard is hoping to take his game to the next level in the NBA. He is projected to be a second-round pick in the 2020 NBA draft