I am detecting something emanating from Luke Kennard…emanations so strong that, despite Kennard being hundreds of miles away from me, I can detect them through my computer screen…are these the emanations of CONFIDENCE? I think they are! I have detected erroneous emanations from players in the past due to my illegally overclocked microwave, but these emanations are of a distinctly non-nuclear variety, which is why I think that I’m detecting them properly.
It seems like Kennard has a longer leash that he used to have. Both SVG and, now, Dwane Casey have been quick to bench Kennard in the past for mistakes on the court, which made him less assertive as he tried to avoid doing anything that could be classified as a “mistake”. Now, with slightly more freedom, he can shoot the shots he feels comfortable with absent the worry that the smallest misstep will see his heinie put back on the bench.
So the confidence that Kennard has isn’t confidence in his own abilities. He’s always had that, as he should. Now he has confidence in his coach’s ability to coach the game in a way where he (Kennard) doesn’t suffer needlessly for it. I can’t wait for him to score 6 points in each of the next three games while playing 13 minutes a game for some reason.