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With Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves out for the foreseeable future, Los Angeles Lakers head coach JJ Redick called upon Luke Kennard to become the team\u2019s new lead guard.<\/p>\n
Kennard is largely a 3-point specialist, but he has shown flashes of being able to run an offense and set teammates up for shots. Although the Lakers lost to the Dallas Mavericks<\/a>, Kennard more than did his share of the heavy lifting as he recorded a triple-double of 15 points, 16 rebounds and 11 assists. <\/p>\n After the game, Redick praised Kennard\u2019s performance while also acknowledging that he needs to find ways to get him off the basketball more.<\/p>\n \u201cWe talked a lot about simplifying the initial play call and getting into second actions,\u201d Redick said on Spectrum SportsNet. \u201cI think overall the guys did a really good job of that. I think we were 22-1 or 23-1 with 29 or more assists, now there\u2019s two losses there. But it\u2019s an encouraging sign. I think he did a nice job. We gotta figure out what can be the second ball-handler, obviously 41 minutes is too much for him. Him having to handle as well, that\u2019s not a normal thing for him and probably contributed to him not having a great shooting night. But I thought he did some amazing things. I think it was the first triple-double of his career.\u201d<\/p>\n Replacing Doncic and Reaves\u2019 offensive scoring and playmaking is impossible, so Redick and the staff had to simplify the offense to put Kennard in the best possible position. There were obvious miscues against Dallas, but for the most part Kennard held up well in an expanded role.<\/p>\n As Redick noted, it wouldn\u2019t be smart to play Kennard too much on the ball because it would limit his opportunities to do damage from beyond the arc. Hopefully Marcus Smart returns soon to handle primary ball-handler duties, while James may need to pick up even more of the slack.<\/p>\n It\u2019s not optimal to use a movement shooter like Kennard as the team\u2019s primary ball-handler, but it\u2019s all hands on deck for the purple and gold.<\/p>\n Kennard has been a revelation for the Lakers since they acquired him at the trade deadline. Having a reliable threat from the 3-point line opened up the floor for Los Angeles\u2019 stars to do damage against overwhelmed defenses.<\/p>\n However, that role has now shifted due to injuries, which is something Kennard said he is comfortable doing<\/a>.<\/p>\nLuke Kennard comfortable as primary ball-handler<\/h2>\n