The Los Angeles Lakers’ quiet trade deadline produced just one new face, but that player is already making his expectations clear to the team’s superstar duo. Despite being widely projected as one of the league’s most active teams, Los Angeles opted for restraint on Wednesday. With LeBron James and Luka Doncic forming a generational pairing, the Lakers’ championship window feels simultaneously wide open and dangerously thin. Yet when the dust settled, the Purple & Gold walked away with only a single move.

That move brought elite sharpshooter Luke Kennard to Los Angeles in exchange for Gabe Vincent and a future second-round pick. The deal doesn’t solve the Lakers’ most glaring issue, perimeter defense, but it directly addresses another long-standing weakness: outside shooting.

The Los Angeles Lakers rank toward the bottom of the league in three-point shooting, with opposing defenses happy to crash the paint to prevent LA’s trio of Austin Reaves, LeBron James and Luka Doncic from scoring. “I know here, man, they got some great passers,” Kennard said when asked about what he was most excited about after joining the Lakers. “Great playmakers. High IQ players. And I’m excited to get some of the most wide-open looks I’ve ever had.”

Thus far, the 29-year-old has been shooting 49.7% from the three-point line, which is the best three-point percentage in the entire NBA at the moment. What’s more impressive is that he’s shooting with such high efficiency on a low volume of just 3.2 three-point attempts per game.

Head coach JJ Redick made his expectations clear, labeling Kennard as one of the best shooters in the league and emphasizing that he wants Kennard to shoot more than he did for his previous teams. That directive should be easy to follow in Los Angeles.

“Excited about Luke,” Redick told reporters following his team’s win over the Sixers. “I’ve known him, I guess for about 12 years now and I think he’s one of the best shooters in the NBA. I’m gonna highly encourage him to shoot more and not turn down shots. Because I think one of the underrated part of his game is his ability to move and create second actions and move the basketball.”

“You’ve seen that now at a number of his stops where you can initiate the offense through an off-ball movement and he will just make the right play and sort of get the offense going,” Redick further stated. “So he’ll be a corner threat and he’ll be an off-ball threat and we’re excited to have him.”

Those aren’t empty words. Kennard will be suiting up alongside Luka Doncic, who’s been averaging 8.6 assists per game this season while showcasing his slick passing alongside his scoring prowess.

Meanwhile, King James isn’t doing too bad in the facilitating department either, as the 41-year-old has averaged 6.7 assists so far in the campaign. Rest assured, these two will certainly be creating easy looks for Kennard.

The numbers support the optimism

Thus far, the 29-year-old has been shooting 49.7% from the three-point line—the best three-point percentage in the entire NBA at the moment. What’s more impressive is that he’s shooting with such high efficiency on a low volume of just 3.2 three-point attempts per game. Nonetheless, now that he’s in Southern California, those numbers are only going to increase.

While those numbers are impressive on their own, they take on added significance when viewed through the lens of LeBron’s history with elite shooters. Kennard’s arrival fits a familiar LeBron blueprint, echoing past partnerships with specialist shooters.

Korver stretched the floor in Cleveland (9.3 points per game on 45% from three), while Danny Green (plus-165 in playoff net ratings) and KCP were integral to the Lakers’ 2020 title run.

In that context, the reasonable expectation is that Kennard supplies elite shooting (44.2% from three for his career) so long as he commits enough defensively to stay on the floor when it matters most. And if history is any guide, those modest 3.2 attempts per game won’t stay modest for long.