Unlikely Duke basketball standout leads team to blowout victory

An unlikely Duke basketball standout helped lead his team to a blowout victory. 

Given the firepower a Duke basketball shooting guard has been surrounded by in his collegiate and professional career, he consistently goes unnoticed despite building a solid career.

After Luke Kennard was traded from the Detroit Pistons to the Los Angeles Clippers during the 2020 NBA Draft, many have forgotten about the shooting star due to the firepower of Kawhi Leonard and Paul George with the Clippers.

However, during Sunday night’s victory over the Indiana Pacers, the former Blue Devil was tied for the team lead in points with George and Marcus Morris.

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All three players scored 20 points in the 129-96 victory as Kennard also chipped in four rebounds and two assists on 7-of-12 shooting, 5-of-8 from three-point range.

The outing set a season-high for the southpaw in points this year as he averages 9.3 points, 3.1 rebounds, and 1.9 assists per game on 52.0-percent shooting from the field and a scorching 51.0-percent from beyond the arc.

Kennard was unable to follow up his season-best performance with another outstanding night in the Clippers’ 115-96 victory over the Sacramento Kings on Wednesday night, but he did finish with nine points and five rebounds on 4-of-6 shooting.

Duke basketball standout has outstanding chance to win NBA Championship

Obviously, given his time with the lowly Detroit Pistons, this season presents the best chance for Luke Kennard to win a title with the Clippers.

Los Angeles currently sits as the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference and surely will be battling the Los Angeles Lakers to represent the conference in the NBA Finals.

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The Clippers, without Kennard, suffered a crushing elimination inside the NBA bubble at the conclusion of the 2019-20 season, which prompted the franchise to make a handful of changes, including the addition of Luke Kennard.

Los Angeles (11-4) returns to the court on Friday, January 22 against the Oklahoma City Thunder (6-7).