Somehow, the Celtics were able to navigate the entirety of the regular season without more than unproven, minimum-contract signings at the center position. Neemias Queta and Luka Garza did a great job, and Nikola Vucevic came over at the deadline and shored up the depth.
The trio had Cs fans forgetting all about the star-studded front-line of years past, but that has quickly changed after three playoff games. Queta has quickly lost the faith of Joe Mazzulla, showing questionable ball skills and an inability to stay in position and defend without fouling.
Garza has been essentially relegated from the rotation, playing only out of desperation. And Vooch basically has a target on his back on every single defensive possession. There are some real issues with this center rotation, and there’s no clear fix this season. Suddenly, fans are yearning for the big men of the past.
But the one regrettable departure isn’t necessarily the guy you may think. Much of the attention was paid to the losses of Kristaps Porzingis and Al Horford last summer, but the guy the Celtics could really use is Luke Kornet.
Kornet proving he can be a playoff-caliber starting center
Luke was signed away by the Spurs in free agency, and it’s a good thing they got him. With Victor Wembanyama suffering a concussion in Game 2 of their first-round series with the Trail Blazers, Luke was called upon to start in a massive Game 3 on the road in Portland, and he rose to the occasion.
Kornet had a great showing, playing 34 minutes and putting up 14 points, 10 rebounds, and 2 blocks. He was a +4 while battling the likes of Donovan Clingan and Robert Williams, and helped his team pull out a massive, 120-108 win to take a 2-1 series lead.
Spurs Luke Kornet 14 PTS (6-9 FG, 1-1 3P), 10 REB (5 OREB), 2 AST, 2 BLK vs. Blazers
— Role Player Performances (@BenchHighlights) April 25, 2026
Could barely tell Wemby wasn’t playing https://t.co/GONEpf9fxx pic.twitter.com/e4NBgoNLE0
He was starting to break out last season in Boston, and there was hope that he’d return and be the starting center of the future, a role he had earned. But like others, he became a cap casualty when the Spurs swooped in and offered him a 4-year, $40.7 million contract.
Whether or not the Celtics could have made a deal like that work is a topic of debate. They certainly could have offered the deal, but it would have made it a lot harder to pull off all of the cap gymnastics that eventually got them under the luxury tax.
Celtics will be looking for next Luke Kornet this summer
It’s not clear if they could have made that happen or not, and it would have been a major challenge. But it’s clear that the team could desperately use his two-way play right now, and he’d be making a major impact in this playoff series, and beyond.
Luke's rim-protection and pick-and-roll coverage have come a long way, and he has become reliable with the ball on offense, where he's a great screener, rim-runner, and offensive rebounder. Celtics fans would feel a lot better with Luke manning the middle for Boston, but as Rick Pitino would say, he’s not walking through that door.
The Celtics are going to have to find a way through these playoffs without him, and without any of their other lost big men. Hopefully, they can patch it together and make it work, but it’s becoming clear that center is a position they’ll have to go out and address this offseason. Again.
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