Underrated plot from Celtics win over Knicks could help major concern

The Boston Celtics began their 2024-25 campaign in glorious fashion. They raised Banner 18 into the rafters and completely dismantled the New York Knicks. Boston's dominant 132-109 victory was fueled by their accuracy beyond the arc, as they nailed a staggering 29 three-pointers, tying the NBA’s single-game record set by the Milwaukee Bucks in 2020.

What’s even more impressive is that the Celtics picked up the win without Kristaps Porzingis, who will remain sidelined until late 2024.

One of the primary concerns for the Celtics heading into the season was how they planned to fill the 7-foot-2-sized void in their rotation while simultaneously managing Al Horford’s minutes. On Tuesday, it was Luke Kornet who stepped up.

Luke Kornet's screening helps him as perfect fill-in for Kristaps Porzingis

He played 15 minutes through the first three quarters, and while the box score might not leap off the page, it belied his true impact. Kornet notched a modest four points, three rebounds, and one assist, but his true impact can be quantified by his screen assists. 

Screen assists are awarded to players when an on-ball screen directly results in a made-field goal. The NBA categorizes a screen assist as a “hustle” statistic, alongside deflections, box outs, loose balls recovered, contested shots, and charges drawn.

On Opening Night, Kornet led the Celtics with five screen assists, directly resulting in 14 points. Kornet’s savvy footwork and knack for anticipating defenders is evident in plays like the following, posted by Nekias Duncan. He flipped the screen to create a little more separation for Jayson Tatum.  

The play led to a three for Tatum, but Kornet earned the gold star by flipping the screen at the last moment (and getting set) to carve out some extra space.

While Kornet’s contributions aren’t quite as profound as Porzingis or Horford’s, the Celtics big man’s strengths lie in the game’s subtleties and doing the little things that translate to huge results.

Porzingis' absence will force Joe Mazzulla to utilize Kornet more than the Celtics would otherwise, but they seem comfortable with that reality. Kornet was incredible during preseason action, as he stepped into the starting lineup while Horford got some rest.

His fit next to the regular rotation guys was perfect, and that translated to a successful game against the Knicks on Opening Night, including some impressive chemistry with Tatum.

Though Boston would love to have Porzingis on the court, Kornet's ability to fill in effectively helps ease some of the concern.