Apparently Luke's pro day was a great success, and he put on a shooting clinic. Chad Ford is saying the GM's are labeling him as the best shooter in the class, and will not be available at the end of the lottery, possibly drafted in the top ten. Trending at the perfect time. With today's NBA, Luke is a great fit. He has a very high basketball IQ, and will surprise a lot of people IMO. I think he can be a Klay Thompson type offensive threat, with slightly better playmaking skills coming out of college. He'll never be a great defender, but he's smart enough to know where to be. I think it will be interesting to see how quickly he can make an impact in the NBA. You can't turn away from that stroke.
Luke shooting up draft boards
- Thread starter hallside
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Apparently the Knicks are strongly considering Luke at #8.
RUN LUKE RUN AS FAR AWAY FROM NEW YORK AS POSSIBLE!!!!!!
RUN LUKE RUN AS FAR AWAY FROM NEW YORK AS POSSIBLE!!!!!!
Not only is he talented, but if your a GM, you don't have to worry about what kind of person he is. There won't be any off the court issues.
I remember a couple of Duke insiders implying last summer that they wouldn't be surprised if Luke blew up and was gone after this last season. I admit I kind of shrugged it off and thought maybe a little Duke homerism was in play. But they were right. The kid just has all the intangibles. If he can become even an average NBA defender he will be successful for a long, long time. I know I'll be following his progression closely.
That's awesome to see! I know what u mean about the Knicks and all, but at the same time its the Big Apple!
He's a lot like the best lefty I ever saw play: Chris Mullins
Yup just depends on if he'll be able to defend adequately at the next level. Offensively, he's got it all.
I am worried that he's a terrible defender. Could've just been a lack of focus...but he gets beat a lot. Not sure he shoots as well as Klay, but he might. Def not the defensive threat Klay is
My concern with Luke is his lack of fast twitch movement. He seems like the kind of body type that peaks athletically at 24 and runs in mud at 30. He'd still be a great bargain on a rookie contract. I feel like he's smart enough with good enough hands, that at 6'6, he's not a huge liability on D.
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I could stand to make what he stands to make then run in mud at 30.. sign me up.
I agree....don't think it's impossible for him to carve out a role. He can be good enough on defense to play a lot. And he will definitely score. JJ is a common comparison for many reasons and it's apt for the most part, however, imo Luke has a niftier scoring game in that he has lots of little hesitations and mid-lane moves to score, where as JJ shot it better, with a quicker release, and with considerably deeper range. Now Luke clearly has the skills to develop the deeper shooting range/ability as well so we will see....either way he has some real upside along with a few potential red flags. His ability to improve quickly, which he showed at Duke, should be a real positive.
Luke is the best complete shooter in the draft from all thee levels. He has a good handle and can create his own shot. He is different than JJ when he was at Duke. JJ played more off screens to nail open shots. Luke can take is guy one on one.
He will have to take a page out of JJ's book in terms of work on his body (JJ has remained in the league largely because he has gotten in such superb physical condition).
But, I also think Luke is a better ball-handler and passer than JJ. He is very deceptive with the ball. Not as pure a shooter as JJ - but, he has a soft touch.
He will really have to focus on his range from NBA 3 if he is going to make it. But, he also has a very good mid-range shooting game. So that will come in handy. But the 3 is key for a player like Luke.
But, I also think Luke is a better ball-handler and passer than JJ. He is very deceptive with the ball. Not as pure a shooter as JJ - but, he has a soft touch.
He will really have to focus on his range from NBA 3 if he is going to make it. But, he also has a very good mid-range shooting game. So that will come in handy. But the 3 is key for a player like Luke.
I am the farthest thing from an insider but at the end of his freshman season I said on this board that, but for the incoming freshman taking so many minutes, I thought Kennard would average 20 pts as a soph. Well, the freshman didn't take the minutes we expected them to and Kennard averaged 20. As a freshman, even when he was missing so many threes at the beginning, the stroke looked just perfect and it seemed like 80% of those misses were in and out. I had faith he'd be dominant his second year.
I still never ever would have predicted there'd be talk of him being a top-ten pick this year. But, good luck to him.
As for his lack of fast twitch muscles, that seems true and will hurt on the defensive end. But Luke has an old-man's game on offense. He'll get his points by being crafty not by blowing by anyone.