Kennard will move into the starting lineup for Wednesday's game against the Clippers, Andrew Greif of the Los Angeles Times reports.
Kennard will be earning his first start in a Memphis uniform Wednesday evening, and he should see plenty of minutes with Desmond Bane (foot) and John Konchar (hip) watching from the sidelines. Kennard has been heating up over the past three games with averages of 20.0 points, 4.0 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 6.0 triples and 1.0 steals per contest, so he's certainly on the radar as a potential streamer.
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Grizzlies' Luke Kennard: Stays hot in Tuesday's win
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Kennard finished with 15 points (6-8 FG, 4-5 3Pt), five rebounds, five assists and one steal in 28 minutes in Tuesday's 113-108 win over the Magic.
Though he remains a bench player for the Grizzlies, Kennard has morphed into a more useful fantasy option than starting small forward Dillon Brooks, who continues to struggle with efficiency and offers limited value in the peripheral categories. Kennard, on the other hand, is in the midst of a red-hot eight-game run in which he's averaged 15.5 points (on 61.2 percent shooting from the field) to go with 4.4 three-pointers, 3.5 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 1.0 steals in 25.0 minutes per contest. Kennard's career-long 43.5 percent mark from the field represents a more realistic level of what to expect from him as a shooter moving forward, but even if regression hits in Wednesday's game against the Clippers, the 26-year-old may be able to offset any downturn in efficiency with added volume. Memphis is likely to hold out both Desmond Bane (foot) and Jaren Jackson (calf) for rest purposes in the second leg of the back-to-back set, so there should be plenty of touches to go around for both Ja Morant and Kennard.
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Grizzlies' Luke Kennard: Goes bonkers for 30 points
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Kennard contributed 30 points (10-11 FG, 10-11 3Pt), three assists and one steal over 24 minutes during Friday's 151-114 win over the Rockets.
Kennard's 30 points matches his career high, and the 10 triples marks a new career best, with all 11 of his shot attempts coming from beyond the arc. Kennard's minutes are trending up, and it has a lot to do with his ability to stretch the floor for Memphis with a total of 27 three-pointers over his past six games.
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Grizzlies' Luke Kennard: Scores 14 points in loss
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Kennard supplied 14 points (4-6 FG, 4-5 3Pt, 2-2 FT), two rebounds, one assist and one steal across 20 minutes during Wednesday's 138-119 loss to Miami.
Kennard scored double-digits for just the third time since joining the Grizzlies, playing at least 20 minutes for the second time in his past three games. While he has been able to carve out a somewhat consistent role for himself, he only offers upside in three-pointers. Based on that fact, he should be viewed as nothing more than a streaming option, with slightly more appeal in deeper formats.
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Grizzlies' Luke Kennard: Comes up empty Wednesday
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Kennard amassed zero points (0-4 FG, 0-4 3Pt), two rebounds, one assist and one steal over 20 minutes during Wednesday's 113-99 victory over the Rockets.
Kennard failed to score for just the third time this season, missing all four of his shot attempts from beyond the arc while turning the ball over a pair of times. He's off to a slightly rocky start in his five games since joining Memphis, shooting 34.6 percent from the field on 5.2 attempts per game to tally 6.2 points per contest. On the plus side, his role hasn't diminished with the move to Memphis, averaging 22.0 minutes per game, so he has the playing time aspect on his side. However, he hasn't scored consistently enough in 2022-23 to warrant fantasy usage in most formats.
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Grizzlies' Luke Kennard: Not listed on injury report
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Kennard (illness) isn't listed on the Grizzlies' injury report for Saturday's matchup versus the Nuggets.
Kennard missed the first game of Memphis' second-half schedule Thursday against the Sixers due to a non-COVID illness, but it appears he'll return to action Saturday. In two appearances with his new team, Kennard has averaged 6.5 points, 1.5 rebounds and 1.5 assists in 21.5 minutes per game.
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Grizzlies' Luke Kennard: Won't suit up Thursday
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Kennard will miss Thursday's game versus the Sixers due to a non-COVID illness.
Kennard has been with the Grizzlies for just a week and has appeared in two games, but he's apparently under the weather and will need an extra night off heading into the second half. His absence should allot more playing time for John Konchar and David Roddy, while Kennard will focus on resting up for his next chance to return Saturday against the Nuggets.
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Grizzlies' Luke Kennard: Settles in with new team
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Kennard notched nine points (2-4 FG, 2-4 3Pt, 3-3 FT), one rebound and two assists over 21 minutes during Wednesday's 117-111 victory over the Jazz.
Kennard has a new team, but his fantasy value hasn't received a boost. He played 20 minutes off the bench, nearly identical to his season average. Kennard has only taken eight shots in two games since moving to the Grizzlies from the Clippers. The former first-round pick is an excellent three-point shooter, having knocked down over 44 percent of his triples this season. But unless Memphis hatches a plan for more minutes over the All-Star break, Kennard won't produce much value for fantasy managers.
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Grizzlies' Luke Kennard: Available to play Sunday
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Kennard (trade) is available to make his Grizzlies debut Sunday versus the Celtics, Drew Hill of The Daily Memphian reports.
Kennard's exact role with his new club is unclear, but the Grizzlies certainly paved the way for him to play sizable minutes Saturday, sending numerous depth players to the G League. Kennard is one of the best three-point shooters in the league, knocking down 44.7 percent of his attempts from beyond the arc in his 35 games played (11 starts) this season with the Clippers.
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Grizzlies' Luke Kennard: Unlikely to play Friday
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Kennard (recently traded) is unlikely to play Friday against the Timberwolves, Damichael Cole of The Memphis Commercial Appeal reports.
The Clippers traded Kennard to the Grizzlies in a three-team deal ahead of Thursday's deadline, and while he's en route to Memphis, the sharpshooter is unlikely to make his debut Friday. When available, Kennard figures to operate as the backup shooting guard behind Desmond Bane.
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Grizzlies' Luke Kennard: Headed to Memphis
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The Grizzlies acquired Kennard on Thursday in a three-team deal involving the Clippers and Rockets, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reports.
The Clippers are receiving Eric Gordon and three second-round picks in the deal, while John Wall (abdomen), Danny Green and a 2023 first-round pick swap are headed to Houston. Kennard had recently been on the outside looking in for a regular spot in L.A.'s rotation, but he should gain a more stable role on the second unit in Memphis while taking over the spot that belonged to Green. As long as starting wings Desmond Bane and Dillon Brooks are both healthy and available, however, Kennard likely won't have a clear path to consistently seeing more than 20 minutes per game.
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Clippers' Luke Kennard: Moves out of rotation
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Kennard (coach's decision) didn't appear off the bench in Saturday's 134-128 overtime win over the Knicks.
After starting in three of the Clippers' final four games of January following his return from a right calf injury, Kennard has now been dropped from head coach Tyronn Lue's rotation in both of the team's first contests of February. Kennard's chances of regaining a role on the second unit won't improve once John Wall (abdomen) returns, so Kennard's best bet for regaining relevance even in deeper fantasy leagues might be getting moved elsewhere ahead of Thursday's trade deadline.
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Clippers' Luke Kennard: Slides to second unit
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Kennard will not start Thursday at Milwaukee, Andrew Greif of the Los Angeles Times reports.
Kennard has enjoyed a brief stint in the first five with Marcus Morris (ribs) sidelined but will return to the bench with Morris active Thursday. Despite starting in three of his four games since returning from injury, Kennard logged just 16.3 minutes per game in that stretch and should be out of the fantasy conversation until he sees more minutes.
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Clippers' Luke Kennard: Comes up empty in start
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Kennard totaled zero points (0-6 FG, 0-5 3Pt), four rebounds and one assist in 17 minutes during Tuesday's 108-103 win over Chicago.
Kennard shifted into the starting lineup but failed to score in what was quite simply a terrible performance. The Clippers continue to tinker with their opening five, often dependent on who is available on the night. As for Kennard, he should be viewed as nothing more than a potential three-point streaming option on low-volume nights such as this.
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Clippers' Luke Kennard: Moves to starting lineup
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Kennard is in the starting five for Tuesday's game versus the Bulls, Joey Linn of SI.com reports.
Kennard will replace Norman Powell in the starting five Tuesday. The 26-year-old guard has averaged 9.0 points and 2.7 rebounds in 19.7 minutes across his last three starts.
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Clippers' Luke Kennard: Active, not starting
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Kennard will come off the bench for Sunday's game at Cleveland, Andrew Greif of the Los Angeles Times reports.
Kennard will play through a nagging calf issue, but he'll move to the bench after starting each of the last two games. The Clippers will roll with Terance Mann, Amir Coffey, Norman Powell, Nicolas Batum and Ivica Zubac as their first five.
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Clippers' Luke Kennard: Will play Sunday
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Kennard (calf) is available for Sunday's game against the Cavaliers.
Kennard was considered questionable with right calf soreness but will ultimately suit up for a third straight game. Over his past two appearances (both starts), the lefty has averaged 8.0 points and 2.0 rebounds in 19.0 minutes, but he may see an increased role Sunday with a number of the Clippers' regulars sidelined, including Paul George (knee) and Kawhi Leonard (knee).
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Clippers' Luke Kennard: Iffy for Sunday
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Kennard is questionable for Sunday's matchup against the Cavaliers due to right calf soreness, Andrew Greif of the Los Angeles Times reports.
Kennard has suited up for back-to-back contests following a nine-game absence due to a calf injury. The sharpshooter is still dealing with some soreness related to the issue and may be sidelined for the second half of Los Angeles' current back-to-back set to manage his workload. Paul George (knee) and Kawhi Leonard (knee) have already been ruled out, while Marcus Morris (ribs) and Reggie Jackson (Achilles) join Kennard as questionable, leaving the Clippers in danger of being extremely shorthanded against Cleveland.
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Clippers' Luke Kennard: Limited numbers in return
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Kennard (calf) logged five points (2-3 FG, 1-1 3Pt) and one rebound in 17 minutes during Thursday's 138-100 victory over the Spurs.
Back in action after a nine-game absence, Kennard stepped into the Clippers' starting unit while Marcus Morris (ribs) was sidelined. However, Kennard didn't on Morris' usual level of playing time, presumably because the Clippers wanted to limit Kennard's workload coming off the injury. While Kennard can utilized as three-point streaming option at times, the Clippers have arguably the deepest roster in the league, meaning that it may take an absence from one or two of Paul George, Kawhi Leonard or Norman Powell in order for Kennard to see the kind of volume he needs to pay dividends to fantasy managers.
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Clippers' Luke Kennard: Starting in return
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Kennard (calf) will start in Thursday's game against the Spurs.
With Marcus Morris (ribs) sidelined, Kennard will be thrust into the starting five following a nine-game leave. Although Kennard's starting status is certainly encouraging for his workload Thursday, fantasy managers should temper expectations considering he has missed almost three weeks of action and will likely face some sort of restrictions.
