The Memphis Grizzlies had a busy offseason with their roster turnover. They traded Desmond Bane and Jay Huff, and allowed free agents Luke Kennard and Marvin Bagley III to leave for the Eastern Conference. Luke Kennard signed with the Atlanta Hawks to provide elite shooting off the bench, which excited their fanbase.
The Grizzlies fanbase had that same level of excitement for Luke Kennard when they acquired him at the 2023 NBA trade deadline from the Los Angeles Clippers. However, despite his career 43.7% shooting from three in his career, including 46.2% in his three seasons with Memphis, Kennard has begun his tenure with the Hawks the same way he ended his tenure with the Grizzlies.
Kennard doesn't "let it fly" enough
In his first three games with the Atlanta Hawks this season, Luke Kennard has attempted nine total threes, including not attempting any in 22 minutes in their second game against the Orlando Magic. In comparison, one of his considered replacements on the Grizzlies' roster, Cam Spencer, has attempted 11 threes for Memphis in only 14 minutes per game vs 25 minutes per game for Kennard.
After scoring 30 points on 7-9 shooting for the Grizzlies in a March 12th game against the Utah Jazz last season, Kennard only attempted more than four threes in a game twice in his final 14 regular season games with the team. He followed it up with only 11 total attempts in the five postseason games he played in for Memphis.
Atlanta fans have already grown tired of his hesitation to shoot, as one fan found the Grizzlies' Reddit account to ask, "Is there a more reluctant shooter than Luke Kennard?" Another fan made a statement on X following the Hawks' loss to the Thunder on October 25th, saying Kennard hadn't taken a three-pointer in his last 34 minutes of playing time for the team.
The sample size is small with only three games played, and factoring in the time playing for a new team and coach. However, Hawks fans seem to have already become agitated with his reluctance to get his three-point shot attempts up for a team currently ranked 23rd in the league in three-point percentage.
He only shot 34.6% from three on his final 52 attempts for Memphis and has started his time with the Hawks shooting 2-9. However, for a player who has never shot less than 39% in his nine-year career and doesn't provide much value in anything else on the court, the frustrations are warranted by the fan bases of the teams he has played for.