Luke Kennard has had to fit in with many teams, says Suns transition has been easy

The Phoenix Suns are Luke Kennard’s sixth NBA team in 10 years, and he has been traded midseason twice in the past four years.

Kennard is someone who has had to fit quickly into different lineups and schemes with teams looking for that piece to push them over the edge, most recently with the Los Angeles Lakers last season, for whom he scored 50 points over their first two playoff games.

So he feels pretty confident in his ability to fit into the role the Suns need from him coming off the bench this upcoming season.

“It has been a really good and seamless and easy transition,” Kennard told Arizona Sports’ Wolf & Luke on Monday. “I have done it a few times now, and it has been really good. … Being my 10th year now, being on a few different teams, I have been able to fit in.”

Plus Kennard’s primary role is clear: shoot.

Kennard has been one of the most efficient 3-point shooters in the NBA throughout his career, leading the league in 3-point percentage three times since 2021-22.

Last year, Kennard shot 47.8% from deep, although he only took 3.1 per game. He told reporters at Media Day on Monday that the message to him has been to shoot as many 3s as possible, even tougher ones.

His percentage may not lead the league in such case — although he has never even shot below 39% — but his impact could be greater on the second unit.

The Suns already took the fifth-most 3-pointers in the NBA last season and finished 12th in percentage. But they traded Grayson Allen and Royce O’Neale, who were responsible for 29% of Phoenix’s 3-pointers.

Kennard will be tasked with making up some of that ground.

“I’m known for shooting, shoot 3s consistently to be efficient, but at the same time, the way that they play and play together, it’s just be a basketball player,” Kennard said. “Obviously, I take pride in shooting, but just to be a basketball player, use my IQ, make the right plays, make the right reads, be a player that guys can trust out there and to compete every single night and play hard.

“I think for me, it’s obviously going to be shooting, making a lot of 3s, hopefully, but at the same time, just being a good, smart basketball player.”

Kennard is joining a team that made its identity in energy and effort last season, one he recalled being difficult to guard. He liked the fit and signed a two-year, $13 million contract to join.

The bench looks like a deep unit this season with the returns of Collin Gillespie and Jordan Goodwin, along with the internal development of Oso Ighodaro, Khaman Maluach, Rasheer Fleming, Ryan Dunn and Koa Peat. Ighodaro and Maluach will have to make up minutes center Mark Williams will miss with a shoulder injury to start the year.

Head coach Jordan Ott has pressed the idea that the Suns need to get in the paint and make good decisions to either finish or pass out for a quality 3-point shot, saying, “We’re going to let them fly.”

To prepare not only for his role as a floor spacer and knock-down shooter, Kennard said he has focused on finishing from other areas of the floor to diversify his game.

“The 3-ball has been my big thing, and teams do not want me to shoot 3s, they want to run me off the line, and for me, that’s where as a basketball player, comes into play for me,” Kennard said.” That’s what makes it fun for me, is I can get in the paint, and then it’s what am I going to do then? It’s stuff I worked on this summer, whether it’s runners, layups, different finishes, footwork stuff, which was really big for me this summer.

“Also just making the right play, making right reads and passes, and just a lot of movement stuff. So, I think for me, just getting to that paint, finishing around the rim, being a little bit more physical down there, something I worked on.”

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