San Antonio Spurs Draft Room: Luke Kennard

On Thursday, Luke Kennard of Duke declared for the NBA Draft. A likely late first-round pick, this versatile guard should be on the radar of the San Antonio Spurs.

The San Antonio Spurs will have a few questions to address this offseason. Who will retire? Who should they re-sign? What young players are ready to contribute regularly? Depending on how some of these things play out, drafting Luke Kennard could make a lot of sense.

Coming out of Duke, Kennard was able to stand out offensively (19.9 points per game) while still playing within an offense that featured other talented scorers Jayson Tatum (16.8 ppg) and Grayson Allen (14.5 ppg).

Some of the questions around Kennard are his average-below average size and athleticism. These attributes can affect his ability to get shots off or be effective at the defensive end.

But with the fast-paced and three-point centric game the NBA is trending to, his offensive capabilities may be able to make up for that.

Even after last summer's roster overhaul, the San Antonio Spurs could see some changes in their role players for next year. Depending on how some of these things play out will determine if Kennard is a true option for them on draft day.

Free Agents

This summer the veteran guards off the bench will be free agents. Manu Ginobili could be looking at retirement and Patty Mills could be in line for a big pay day. The team hasn't had a "true" backup point guard since Cory Joseph signed with Toronto.

But these two players have combined for 17.4 points, 6.0 assists, 4.3 rebounds and 2.0 steals since then. Losing this type of production off the bench would be a huge blow to this team, especially with starting point guard Tony Parker getting up there in years.

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Another hole losing these two would create is from behind the arc. They are second and fourth on the team in made threes this season. With that shot being so vital in today's game, going into next season without either player could really hurt this highly ranked shooting team.

Even Jonathon Simmons will be a restricted free agent this summer. And with the big money teams can throw out at players like Simmons, there's a chance he's not back next year either.

While he is not the same playmaker or shooter as Ginobili and Mills, he could provide this team with a lot given the minutes. Should he look for a bigger role elsewhere next year, there will be another spot on the wing that needs to be filled.

Young Players

San Antonio has been preparing for this day. Over the last couple of years they have brought in some guards through the draft. Dejounte Murray, Kyle Anderson and Bryn Forbes all can bring something to the table next year.

But the team will have to decide if they can bring enough to garner consistent minutes. Murray probably has the best chance of stepping up next year after averaging 9.5 points, 3.3 assists and 3.1 rebounds per game in eight games as a starter in 2016-17.

Anderson has had the most eyes on him as his role has slowly increased each year. He's starting to get settled into a wing player who can create offensively and be versatile on D. But he has not brought much in terms of scoring (3.3 points in 14.0 minutes per game).

While this shouldn't hurt his standing with the team going forward, they'll want to make sure they still have scoring options around him in the second unit.

Forbes will try to work his way into the rotation next season. After going undrafted in 2016m he stuck with the Spurs and has spent some time with their D-League affiliate. In 19 games at Austin, he's averaged 23.4 points per game and shot nearly 46 percent from deep.

The concern is at the next level he is undersized (listed at 6'2″) and doesn't bring much to the table other than as a spot-up shooter. The team may look to find someone comparable from three, who can provide a little more versatility.

Where Does Kennard Fit

Luke Kennard can come in next year and be an instant lift to a team. With his all-around offensive game, he even shows flashes of a young Manu Ginobili. Now, ESPN's Zach Lowe would probably kill me for making a draft comparison between two white lefties, but hear me out.

Kennard has tremendous footwork and ball skills that allow him to succeed without great athleticism. He has the skills to get into the paint and find a shot for himself or a teammate. Even if he doesn't have angle initially, he knows how adjust to do just what he wants.

His passing ability is greater than his averages at Duke reflect. He is great at setting his teammates up and is good for one truly incredible pass each game. Early on in his career, some of those passes will probably be stolen, but when they aren't they will result in highlight-reel plays.