There has been another piece added to the equation for head coach Joe Mazzula as he tries to maneuver his team past the Miami Heat. You may be wondering, "Who is that guy?"
Well, Luke Kornet is back, everyone.
Yes, Kornet has returned from the calf injury that he suffered in practice. However, the projected timeline was supposed to be much longer than the two games Kornet missed out on.
Mazzulla had spoken of Kornet's availability using a "week to week" label back as the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals series began.
"Just in one of the drills, (he) came up a little tight, and I think you just have to kind of reevaluate in a couple of days," Mazzulla said before Game 1 (h/t Boston Herald). "So he's done some non-contact stuff, so we'll kind of see where he is every couple days, week to week."
Kornet averaged 5.3 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 1.1 assists, all on top of marking 70% from the field throughout the season. In Game 3, he was able to get two points and a rebound through five minutes of play.
After the game, Coach Mazzula had a few words regarding Kornet's return and what this means.
"Gives you an opportunity to play bigger," Mazzulla said (h/t CelticsBlog's Jack Simone). "Rebounding. Switch attack... First game, the bench had a part in the way played... They're a key to the series so we have to work to continue to make sure they're there."
Luke Kornet's return brings variety to Boston Celtics rotation
There will be much more variety in how Boston's lineups can be formed with the help of another center in the mix, in addition to star Kristaps Porzingis and veteran Al Horford.
Coach Mazzulla's squad responded to all of the haters and doubters that were alive after Miami stole one on the road in Game 2.
Well, they are the No. 1 seed for a reason, right? Bouncing back in Game 3 was not a mistake, and arguably should've been expected.