BOSTON — Early in his career, Luke Kornet had his feet planted firmly behind the three-point line. Dating back to his time at Vanderbilt, Kornet’s three-point shooting is what made him stand out. To this day, Kornet holds the NCAA’s all-time record for most three-point makes (150) by a player listed at seven feet or taller in their collegiate career. So, naturally, when he entered the NBA, that was his calling card.
Signed by the New York Knicks as an undrafted free agent, Kornet saw some early success in his first two years. After spending most of his first year in the G League, Kornet was an intermittent rotation piece for New York during his sophomore campaign, averaging 17.0 minutes and shooting 36.3% from deep on 4.2 attempts per game.
When he moved on to the Chicago Bulls for his third season, it was a similar story. Nearly 58% of his field goal attempts came from outside the arc. Even during his first half-season with the Boston Celtics, almost 49% of Kornet’s shots were threes.
Fast forward to today, after a pair of 10-day contracts with the Cleveland Cavaliers and Milwaukee Bucks, Kornet has only attempted 17 threes in the past three seasons.
Rather than utilizing him as a shooter, the Celtics have taken advantage of his size, turning him into one of the league’s most efficient players. From offensive rebounding to catching lobs, Kornet has made the most of this new role. And while Boston’s vision to turn him into a non-shooter is certainly one the Knicks, Bulls, and others failed to realize, it’s not the most surprising of them all. That’s an actualization that nobody even knew existed.
Perhaps even the Celtics themselves.
Luke Kornet's evolution as an offensive connector has been incredible
Again, when Kornet first got to Boston, he was a three-point shooting, bottom-of-the-bench guy. He played 6.9 minutes per game during the regular season, and the only playoff minutes he earned under Ime Udoka was some garbage-time tick when games got out of hand.
Kornet was such a forgotten asset that the Celtics didn’t even re-sign him. Instead, he went up to Maine to find his footing, and two squads—the Cavs and Bucks—had him on 10-days before cutting him loose. It could have all gone awry right there, with Kornet out of Boston’s grasp. But both teams sent him back to Maine.
As time went on, Joe Mazzulla took over as head coach, and Kornet slowly worked his way into the rotation. His transformation into an efficiency demon made way for the most important realization of all, which culminated this season.
Kornet has been a staple of Boston’s rotation this season, developing an elite chemistry with Jayson Tatum, particularly in the pick-and-roll.
“Man, Luke, the leap that he's took, or taking, this year, and what he's provided off the bench and the nights that he's had to start—Our connection, through the pick-and-roll, and [we're] in constant communication and talks during the game, on off-days and whatever,” Tatum said.
But Kornet is more than just a big body for Tatum to target in the paint. He knows how to use his physical skill set and translate it into the best possible advantages for the Celtics.
No longer a shooter, rather than simply playing bully-ball in the paint with his size, Kornet has become one of Boston’s best offensive connectors, regardless of the personnel on the floor.
“He has a high basketball IQ, and he can play different offenses, different lineups, different coverages,” Mazzulla said.
In the pick-and-roll, Kornet has become elite at finding space, playing off of Tatum’s gravity, and reading and reacting. If the big steps up to guard Tatum, it’s an easy lob for Kornet. If the big steps up and the other team sends help, Kornet can find an open shooter.
His ability to make reads out of the short roll has flipped Boston’s offense from a dangerous three-point threat into an unstoppable force of nature.
“Just from growing up playing the game, I was kind of just like playing very connected and kind of five-guy type stuff,” Kornet said. “I feel just, as time's gone on, and just understanding guys' strengths better and better, helps with all that. And then, especially the last couple of games, playing with Payton [Pritchard] and Sam [Hauser] and stuff. I mean, going back to Maine with Sam, we played that style of ton.
“Obviously, with our usual group and stuff, the looks get kind of different, but I think just growing a feel of what great shots look like for us, and always trying to get those things.
Outside of the pick-and-roll with Tatum, Kornet has been able to utilize his passing and playmaking vision to push Boston’s offense forward.
He’s transferred the ability into actions with Jaylen Brown. He can stand at the top of the key and wait for off-ball movement to commence, making the best read from there. He’s shown off some beautiful bib-to-big passing with Kristaps Porzingis and Al Horford.
Even when there’s no point, rebound, or assist notched into the box score, Kornet’s influence is always there.
“Luke just has a great feel for the game,” Tatum said. “He's such a selfless player. He's always looking to get me open off-ball, on-ball. And I trust him so much. When they double me, or if the big is up to touch, throwing the ball to Luke in the seams, or obviously, him being a rim threat for lobs. So, it's been one of the more successful things for our team this year, just me and Luke on the floor together, and being in actions together.”
To go from a shooter to a G League player to one of the most important rotation pieces on a championship-caliber roster displays astronomical growth. Growth that the entire league (especially those who had Kornet in their organization) completely failed to notice.
“He's just a well-rounded basketball player. He's unbelievable,” said Pritchard. “He's a great passer. He's very good at knowing what spots to get to. When you're driving, he's just a lob threat. He gets to the dunkers. He's in the roll. He's very good at catching out of the role and passing to the open guy right away. So, he's just a very underrated player. People don't give him enough credit because obviously, the talent we have on this team, but Luke is a very talented player.”
From the screening to the passing to the finishing around the rim, Kornet’s offensive impact has been incalcuable for Boston this season, and that’s without even mentioning his defense (which sits among the best rim-protectors in the NBA).
And with the incredible cast of characters Brad Stevens has put together on the Celtics roster, Kornet, and everyone else on the roster, has managed to build a perfect web of connectivity.
“I feel like we've got a smart group of complimentary players that are always finding the right spots and stuff,” Kornet said. “So frankly, I feel like it makes it pretty easy, [not only] on me, but on JT, JB, Derrick.
“Everyone is pretty connected mentally in terms of just finding that spot and finding that read and just playing from there. And it's hopefully something we can just continue to do and continue growing.”