Planned Boston Celtics first big off the bench had role stolen by Luke Kornet

As Boston.com's Faith Pinnow relays, Oshae Brissett was supposed to fill the Grant Williams role on the Boston Celtics after Williams's sign-and-trade to the Dallas Mavericks -- but Luke Kornet stole that role away early on in 2023-24.

"While Brissett is only averaging 4 points and 3 rebounds, he’s found ways to contribute to winning with hustle, offensive rebounding, and overall energy on the court," Pinnow prefaced before saying, "He’s already averaging more minutes in January (13) than he did in all of December (11.2) or November (10.8), a sign that he’s growing into his spot on the team.

"A spot, moreover, that remains highly coveted. When Brissett was signed during the offseason, he was touted to be the favored big coming off the bench. But Luke Kornet secured that spot early in the season, leaving less time for the new forward to show his skills during games."

Luke Kornet injury opened door for Oshae Brissett in Boston Celtics rotation

Kornet's adductor strain before Boston's December 15 matchup with the Orlando Magic opened the door for Brissett, and in his ninth appearance of the year, the former Indiana Pacers wing had a double-digit scoring outing. From there, Brissett would fully grab the brass ring sans Kornet, knocking 3/4 of his 3-pointers in a 12-point effort in 18 minutes against the Los Angeles Clippers on December 23.

Since Kornet's return, he has played at least 10 minutes every game. Sometimes he plays more than Brissett, sometimes he plays fewer. But both have substantial roles off the pine for Joe Mazzulla; who is still looking to figure out which second unit players he can deploy in critical situations.

Come playoff time, neither will have a big role, but keep an eye out as Kornet and Brissett continue to compete to be the rotation's ninth man role.