Luke Kennard hits three triples in Suns debut

Kennard is set to make his Suns debut after sitting out Wednesday’s loss to the Trail Blazers. His return will likely result in fewer minutes for fellow reserve Jordan Goodwin.

Kennard did not play in Wednesday’s season-opening loss to the Trail Blazers, and his absence led to Jordan Goodwin playing 22 minutes off the bench. Goodwin’s playing time may suffer if Kennard returns.

Kennard will miss the Suns’ season opener after initially being listed as questionable. His absence likely means fellow reserve Jordan Goodwin will get more minutes.

Kennard exited early from Wednesday’s preseason game, and that same injury may prevent him from suiting up for the season opener a week later. Jordan Goodwin will likely be tasked with taking on a larger bench role if Kennard is unavailable.

Kennard landed awkwardly after attempting a runner during the second quarter of Wednesday’s game. The veteran wing, who started because the Suns sat their expected starters, immediately walked back to the locker room and has since been ruled out. When available, Kennard can provide solid three-point value in deeper leagues, even though he’ll be used in a reserve role.

Devin Booker was unavailable for Saturday’s game, so Kennard moved into the starting lineup. The Suns signed the veteran wing in free agency for his perimeter shooting prowess, and he shot 4-of-10 from beyond the arc against the Spurs. Kennard can help fantasy managers seeking three-point production, but he shouldn’t be considered a must-draft player.

Kennard appeared in 78 regular-season games in 2025-26, playing 46 for the Hawks before being traded to the Lakers at the February deadline. In 21.6 minutes per game, he averaged 8.4 points, 2.3 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 1.5 three-pointers while shooting 53.3 percent from the field and 91.3 percent from the foul line. In Kennard, the Suns add one of the most accurate three-point shooters in the NBA, potentially providing valuable spacing playing off of Devin Booker and Jalen Green. The second year of Kennard’s contract is a player option, and he’ll be most valuable to fantasy managers seeking three-point production.

Kennard’s availability gives the Lakers another scoring option off the bench against a Thunder defense that has overwhelmed teams throughout its title defense. The three-point specialist hasn’t had much success since the beginning of the Lakers’ first-round series against the Rockets. He’s shot 2-of-10 from deep and totaled only 18 points over the last four games.

Kennard is dealing with neck soreness and is listed as questionable for Game 2 on Thursday. With Austin Reaves returning to the starting lineup in Game 6 of the first round series against the Rockets last week, Kennard will be back in a bench role if he’s available for Game 2.

After coming off the bench in his first game back from a strained oblique, Reaves has returned to the Lakers’ starting lineup. He replaces Luke Kennard, who missed all four of his shot attempts in Game 5 and scored just one point. The Lakers are looking to avoid having to play a Game 7 on Sunday after winning the first three games of this series.