Despite losing a ton of depth this summer, the Boston Celtics have remained a competitive basketball team this season. Neemias Queta has surged forward as a solid starting center for Boston, improving mightily on both ends of the court. Unfortunately, they haven’t had much consistent depth behind him, making the loss of Luke Kornet particularly painful.
Kornet has been a revelation for the San Antonio Spurs this season, where he signed during the offseason. He is putting up career numbers across the board, helping the Spurs become one of the top threats in the Western Conference. Had Boston re-signed him, he could be helping them right now.
Instead, he’s in Texas.
Luke Kornet would have been perfect for these Celtics
Alongside Victor Wembanyama, who has been an MVP candidate this season, Kornet has held down the fort in San Antonio. He’s been great on both ends of the court, and Mitch Johnson has rewarded him with regular playing time.
Kornet is playing a career-high 24.5 minutes per contest, which ranks seventh on the Spurs. The only guys ahead of him are Wembanyama, De’Aaron Fox, Devin Vassell, Stephon Castle, Harrison Barnes, and Julian Champagnie. It’s also the most minutes per game he’s played in his career.
The veteran big man is averaging 8.4 points, 6.1 rebounds, 2.1 assists, and 1.3 blocks, all of which are career-highs for Kornet, who is earning every dime the Spurs gave him in free agency. He’s also shooting 68.5% from the field.
Last season, Kornet was an integral part of the Celtics’ success, even though they eventually flamed out in the second round of the playoffs, losing to the New York Knicks.
Though he cut out the three-point shot from his diet, Kornet’s screening, rim protection, and passing were all crucial to Boston’s success as he backed up Al Horford and Kristaps Porzingis in the rotation.
If he were still in Boston, Kornet would undoubtedly be the team’s starting center, and Queta would probably be a high-level backup right now, giving them two guys they could trust.
Unfortunately, Boston prioritized money this summer. They wanted to save as much as they could, and that included (in all likelihood) not giving Kornet a contract that he deserved, which the Spurs did.
As a result, the Celtics are left scrapping for backup center minutes from guys like Luka Garza, rookie Amari Williams, and even small-ball Josh Minott lineups, as Chris Boucher and Xavier Tillman are almost fully out of the rotation at this point.
Kornet would have been perfect for this team.