UNCASVILLE, Conn. -- There was concern among the Duke coaching staff prior to the season how they were going to find enough quality minutes for Luke Kennard.
The versatile, 6-foot-5 sophomore was playing extremely well in practice, maybe as well as anyone on the team. He was making shots. He was making solid decisions with the ball. However, Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski wasn’t about to sit prized frosh Jayson Tatum.
The starting lineup was set entering the season: Grayson Allen, Matt Jones, Tatum, Amile Jefferson and Marques Bolden. Kennard and combo guard Frank Jackson, a top-25 recruit, would fight for minutes coming off the bench.
Then Tatum suffered a foot injury in late October, and Bolden was shut down due to a foot injury of his own. Another freshman big man, top-ranked Harry Giles, already was dealing with a knee injury.
Kennard, widely regarded as a big-time shooter, couldn’t make a shot this time of year last season. Through the first five games of his career, Kennard made just 2 of 17 shots from beyond the arc. His confidence was floundering, and he couldn’t find a way to score. In the second half of last season, he looked like a different player and wound up averaging 11.8 points at the end of the season.
Thus far, Kennard has been consistent, unlike his freshman season.
“I just feel so much better,” Kennard said Sunday after Duke’s 75-65 win over No. 21 Rhode Island. He scored in double figures for the fifth consecutive game to start the season. “More confident. The game was moving really fast for me last year at this time. Now it’s slowed down.”
Kennard is 13-of-25 from 3 thus far, and he has been asked by Coach K -- who doesn’t boast a true point guard this season -- to facilitate at times.
With National Player of the Year candidate Allen also dealing with foot injuries and showing little sign of the aggressiveness that has been his trademark the past few games, Kennard has emerged as the Blue Devils' top offensive weapon.
In a game that was built up as a dogfight, against a deep and talented Rhode Island team, Kennard was the best player on the floor -- making 8 of 11 shots from the field, 4 of 5 from long range, and also grabbing six rebounds.
“I knew he was capable,” Duke veteran Jefferson said on Sunday. “He got stronger, more confident and is a player we depend on now. ... Coach told him to shoot the ball fast, always have his clip ready. Now he’s hunting his shot.”
Kennard’s expanded role will only make Duke more intimidating when or if the Blue Devils reach full strength. Tatum could be back in the next week or two, and now there won’t be any pressure to feed the skilled, 6-foot-8 forward an abundance of minutes. If fact, Kennard now has proven he can handle the primary scoring load, and Coach K could even opt to shut down Allen for the next couple of home games against William & Mary and Appalachian State to make sure he is close to 100 percent for the Nov. 29 contest at home against Michigan State.
Finding minutes for Kennard hasn’t been an issue, and even when Duke gets more bodies, that may not change.