JJ Redick reveals strategy behind Luke Kennard’s monster Game 1 performance vs. Rockets

The Los Angeles Lakers surprised most by taking down the Houston Rockets in Game 1 of their first round NBA playoff series despite playing without superstar Luka Doncic and star guard Austin Reaves. Even without superstar Kevin Durant in the Rockets lineup, LeBron James was his usual, dominant self via his all-around capabilities, but it was Luke Kennard who took the Lakers over the top.

Kennard started at point guard for the Lakers on Saturday night, finishing with a career playoff-high 27 points to go along with four rebounds and three assists. He did so while shooting 9-of-13 from the field, 4-of-6 from the free throw line, and a perfect 5-of-5 from beyond the arc in 38 minutes of play.

Kennard’s career-high in scoring during the regular season is 30 points, and it’s something he did three times in his career. His playoff career-high had been 21 entering Saturday’s game, and the 27-point performance in Game 1 was the first time he has ever lead his team in scoring in a playoff game.

So what’s the key to Luke Kennard’s success and potentially replicating his shooting display for the remainder of the series, especially as Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves remain sidelined?

“We have constant conversations about that,” Lakers head coach JJ Redick said at practice on Monday afternoon ahead of Tuesday night’s Game 2. “I think one of the things, just messaging-wise was, ‘you shooting six or seven threes a game at 38 percent for the series is better than you shooting three a game at 45 percent. We need you to shoot.’ It’s unlikely he’ll go 5-of-5 every game, but I loved his level of aggression. There were two there in the second half where we’ve seen him turn down those shots, and he was able to have the quick trigger.”

“One of the things messaging wise was, ‘You shooting six or seven 3s a game at 38% for the series is better than you shooting three a game at 45%’” – JJ Redick on the process of getting Luke Kennard to take the green light he’s been given on offense and run with it pic.twitter.com/lDtJi0QdWi

— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) April 20, 2026

Luke Kennard is one of the greatest shooters in NBA history, shooting 44.21 percent for his career. It’s the second-highest three-point percentage in NBA history behind all-time leader Steve Kerr and his 45.40 percent shooting.

In 32 regular season appearances with the Lakers, Kennard averaged 9.0 points, 2.6 rebounds, and 2.4 assists while shooting 52.7 percent from the field and 44.8 percent from three. Over the final four games of the regular season, Kennard averaged 14.5 points, 5.3 rebounds, 7.8 assists, and 2.3 steals per game while shooting 44.7 percent from the field and 30.8 percent from three.

Game 2 between the Lakers and Rockets is set to tip off on Tuesday night back in Los Angeles at 7:30PM PST. Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves won’t be suiting up for the Lakers, but Kevin Durant reportedly has a chance to play for the Rockets after missing Game 1 with a bruised knee.

The post JJ Redick reveals strategy behind Luke Kennard’s monster Game 1 performance vs. Rockets appeared first on ClutchPoints.