Throughout this year whenever Al Horford or Kristaps Porzingis missed a game, Luke Kornet was the first big off the bench. At the start of the year, fans believed that we needed to upgrade our big man depth, but Kornet has shown all season he is the perfect third big for this team.
He won’t score 30 points, he won’t lead the league in blocks or rebounds, but he gives Boston exactly what they need every time he steps on the floor. Against the Phoenix Suns with Porzingis out, Kornet gave the Celtics extra possessions, defensive structure, and timely baskets.
He brings his best effort on defense every night. Luke isn’t afraid of getting posterized or getting crossed, he does everything at 100% which earns him the trust of his teammates.
On Saturday, Kornet scored 14 points and grabbed six rebounds to help the Celtics snap their two-game skid.
Celtics fans have known about the Kornet Contest aka the “Korntest” for a while now, but on national television, ESPN’s Doris Burke, Mike Breen, and JJ Redick witnessed it and started to debate its impact.
Kornet did the “Korntest” three times against Phoenix and was successful each time.
Luke’s teammates rave about him as a person off the court. With his “old man” banter and witty remarks, Kornet seems to keep the mood light. When asked about the Korntest, he provided a classic Kornet quote.
“The eclipse was built for the sun,” Kornet said.
Then in the game, after one of his fifth dunks in the game, Kornet decided to celebrate with the “tap of the head” which is normally used when someone dunks on someone.
“I did tap my head. I think that’s pretty popular these days, I don’t know about these days maybe last year or two years ago more so,” Kornet said. “I was feeling a certain type of way. I was feeling a lot of energy and maybe testosterone and adrenaline.”
Beyond the contest and celebrations, Kornet has earned the trust of the coaches which is shown from his playing time. After the game, Joe Mazzulla praised Kornet and his ability to switch on defense and set screens to free up the rest of the team.
“Luke’s ability to play versus the second unit and switching really gave us a great look,” Mazzulla said. “When they went to touch, he was able to set good screens.”
Below is an example of Kornet’s defensive awareness. Knowing that opposing players like to attack Sam Hauser, Kornet puts himself in the perfect position to get the block after Bradley Beal gets passed Hauser.
Kornet admitted to him knowing he would have an opportunity to play with Porzinigs out, but stated he’d be ready whenever.
“I was ready. It’s kind of the name of the game… You find out KP is out, you kind of know there’s more opportunity,” Kornet said. “We have the luxury of having whether it’s me, or Xavier, or Oshae, kind of just based on the game and the matchup. Fortunately, I was able to provide us with some energy tonight. I’ll be ready for the next time.”
Energy is something you can always expect from Kornet, and this alley-oop early in the fourth quarter forced the Suns into a timeout after Kornet initiates the dribble handoff and then sprints to the paint where he is unmarked and gets the easy slam.
With the health of Porzingis and Horford not playing back-to-back games, there will continue to be opportunities when Kornet will have a significant role. Despite the speculation at the start of the season, he’s earned his minutes and a spot on this team as the teams third big man.
