PHOENIX — The Phoenix Suns move into tonight's preseason finale against the Utah Jazz without one of their top shooters.
Guard Luke Kennard isn't suiting up tonight according to Arizona Sports' John Gambadoro. He injured his knee in Wednesday's matchup against the San Antonio Spurs.
"After hobbling off the court during Wednesday's game against the Spurs, Luke Kennard will sit out the Suns' preseason finale tomorrow versus the Jazz. The Suns do not expect this to be an extended absence," he wrote on X.
After hobbling off the court during Wednesday's game against the Spurs, Luke Kennard will sit out the Suns' preseason finale tomorrow versus the Jazz. The Suns do not expect this to be an extended absence.
— John Gambadoro (@Gambo987) October 16, 2026
Kennard, one of the Suns' top offseason signings, is expected to help replenish the three-point shooting prowess lost by Grayson Allen and Royce O'Neale this offseason. Last season, he shot 48% from three-point land.
Phoenix begins their regular season on Wednesday, Oct. 21 in Portland.
Whether Kennard is ready for that remains to be seen, though his teammates are incredibly excited to have him on the roster:
“I love Luke. You can plug and play him anywhere. He has a tremendous shot, knows how to play the game and is not only a three-point shooter as you see. He can create for himself in the midrange, he’s got a great handle," Dillon Brooks said of Kennard this past weekend.
"He’s going to be another scorer for us coming off the bench. He guards, he stays in front. He was a perfect pickup for us this offseason and I can’t wait for Phoenix to see all the types of games he’s going to have. He’s going to have some tremendous games.”
The Suns will need Kennard to shoot more, though he's also going to have more of an opportunity to be a playmaker in Phoenix's offense when the likes of Devin Booker and Jalen Green aren't on the floor.
“Obviously a lot of the guys I’m playing with now, they’ve been playing together and there’s a few new guys on the team this year," Kennard said this weekend.
"And I think for us it’s about being professionals and coming here, finding that role and fitting in and building connections early. And I think we’ve done that really well. Working with these guys in practice, you know before after during, it’s a lot of different way that you can kind of integrate yourself into a system and into an entire organization. So for me it’s about being a professional building those connections and relationships. And I think I’ve done a really good job of that so far.”
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