Why Luke Kornet could be a factor in Boston's frontcourt

https://www.nbcsports.com/boston/celtics/heres-hoping-brad-stevens-likes-more-of-luke-kornet-moving-forward



Why Luke Kornet could be a factor in Boston's frontcourt



3H AGO

BY CHRIS FORSBERG
NBC SPORTS


Four seconds.

That’s how long the Luke Kornet summer hype video ran. And that’s with a portion slowed down to accentuate the eyebrow-raising crossover that Kornet delivered during an otherwise unremarkable pickup game in a non-descript Tennessee gymnasium.

Four dribbles.

That’s the meat of the video. The 7-foot-2 Kornet shows off some slick ball-handling then delivers a gentleman’s reverse dunk. The clip could have easily drowned in the sea of glitzy NBA offseason workout videos that pollute social media throughout the month of August.

Four days.


That’s how long it took from the time the clip got posted by a workout observer until it started making the rounds among Celtics Twitter. That’s when the video morphed from forgettable to something far grander.


All with one click.

After being posted by an account called @CelticsFiles, Boston president of basketball operations Brad Stevens liked the clip on Twitter. It’s the one and only "like" in Stevens’ 13 years of (very limited) social media usage via his verified @BCCoachStevens account.


And word quickly spread to Kornet.

"So I’m not on social media but I have been texted this from various people," said Kornet, who is now acutely aware of his lone-like status. "I was playing pickup in Nashville and, I don't know, it's just kind of -- that was just kind of a funny thing. It's just all kind of humor and funny."

Funny until you suggest to Kornet that, of all the videos that Stevens could have hit the heart button with a clumsy thumb, it was that video.

"I highly doubt it was a clumsy thumb," said Kornet. "But it was also funny because I'm playing pickup and it’s not the most normal of positions I expect to have in a Celtics uniform."

Kornet later suggested he was, "in his bag." But he’s not expecting Stevens to lobby interim coach Joe Mazzulla to retool the offense with Kornet running point.

Was Stevens' like truly an accident? Some mysteries might be better left unsolved. And it’s still a badge of honor for Kornet.

"I'm a little jealous. I thought me and Brad had a special relationship," Marcus Smart joked when informed that none of his many hustle videos have ever gotten a like from Stevens. "But I think I liked Luke's highlight video, too."

And Smart is certain it was no accident either.

"No, I think it was by design," said Smart.

After all, the Celtics as a whole are high on what Kornet can contribute given his combination of size and skill.

"Oh man, Luke is very good. And he's very skilled," said Smart. "That’s one thing we love about Luke, how skilled he is. He can stretch the floor, but he can actually get down and play with his back to the basket. And, on the defensive end, he does a really good job of going vertical for us and being that type of presence that we're missing.

"So it definitely was unfortunate for his injury to happen early in the preseason. But he's been putting in the work and he's been doing everything he can to get back on the court and now it's just getting his confidence back and getting the feel for it. But he's definitely, definitely a skillful guy and I think he can help us."

Kornet got spotted with a green first-team jersey after Boston’s first training camp practice of the new season. He suffered an ankle injury soon after and didn’t play a single preseason minute.

The 27-year-old Kornet has played only 11 total minutes while making brief appearances in each of Boston’s last two games. His role should increase starting Friday night when the shorthanded Celtics host the Cleveland Cavaliers at TD Garden.

Even before the start of the season, Kornet said he was ready for whatever the team might throw at him, especially with starting center Robert Williams III sidelined for the first two months of the 2022-23 campaign.

"I feel like the place I tried to get to in my life and in my career is just accepting the role that you're given and being ready for whatever it is," said Kornet. "So I'm definitely excited and hoping that I can, honestly, just help our team be as good a team as possible. That's kind of what my overarching theme and goal is, whether you're called to the play 30 minutes, or you're not called to play any minutes, or anywhere in between."

So what haven’t we seen so far from the Luke Kornet experience?

"The Luke Kornet experience, I think that's quite the statement," Kornet said with a laugh. "I think when it comes to being on the floor, I just really want to play winning basketball. I want to play very connected basketball.”

Now, that’s a statement that Stevens would most certainly like.


Bob
MY NOTE:  If he's such a hot shite then why didn't he get minutes with RWill out and Al taking a rest day off?  Sorry, I'm not buying a ticket on the Luke Kornet Hype Train, not until I've seen the actual goods.


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CF needs to put away his calculator and get his eyes checked.
Kornet has no business on this team.

PS. Brad likes Luke because Luke looks like he could be his son. If true then Brad needs to be suspended too.

help me Jesus

Is this "Luke as a Starter" still a thing for the coaches because Luke sprained his ankle and hasn't gotten back to 100% yet so they still haven't been able to try it out in a real game?

Or is it more media nonsense?

Asking for a friend.

WT …?? Media has zero to do with this nonsense. Even at 100% this dog won’t hunt. Send him a packin’.

Forsberg is not looking especially smart, nor insightful, right now.


Bob

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No and Forsberg might want to stop being a fan boy of specific players. He’s over the top with his pining for Luke and way over the top with his love affair with Rob. We all love Rob but we are fans.
All objectivity is gone when a media type capes for his favorite player.

Given the current circumstances (Williams out for a long time, Horford getting older etc) Kornet is going to see some action, unfortunately. Griffin is not the answer either. As Scal said during the recent games Kornet is going to have to take some shots when he is close to the basket. All I ever see him doing is rebounding then passing. Other teams know that too. He needs to try to be a little more aggressive.

Bobby Manning @RealBobManning
about 3 hours ago
There's definitely an eye test-numbers gap watering down perception of Luke Kornet. He has a 97 defensive rating in 54 mins. Impact on opponents: Rim looks -15.8% Short-mid +7% Long-mid +12% All mid +18.9% Threes -3.1% (via @Ben Falk)


Bob
MY NOTE:  "Eye test numbers gap" indeed.  Let us remember that 56 minutes (per basketball-reference it's 56 minutes, not 54) is nothing.  Noah Vonleh has played 73 minutes, and he was a last-second addition to the roster.  Sam Hauser has played 63 minutes, and he's the, what, 10th man?  11th?  And we're not as thin at Sam's spot as we are at Luke's.  There are plenty of healthy bodies ahead of Sam, not so many in front of Luke.  My eyes still roll every time I remember that Joe pulled Luke every time Zinger came in and put him in only when Zinger went to the bench.

Speaking of Sam, after the Washington game, his 3pt fg% is 55.6%. Doing his job and doing it well.


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My eye test is based on 55 years of watching and playing ball, and this guy doesn't have it. Garbage time minutes, playing overseas ok, but meaningful minutes no way, but that's just me. Believe me I wish the guy was Dave Cowens, but he's not even Jim Ard.

The Cavs game tonight should be a good test for Kornet as he will have to match up with Mobley or Allen. While most of the attention in our recent OT loss to them at home was the 82 points scored by Mitchell and Levert the frontcourt issue was even more problematic as both Mobley and Allen recorded double, doubles in points and rebounds.

Bobby Manning @RealBobManning
1 hour ago
Circling back to a Luke Kornet piece I started earlier this month and his rim deterrent numbers have only gotten better. Opponents attempt 10% fewer shots at the rim when Kornet plays. That's the best rate in the league (100th percentile), according to @Ben Falk. Wow.



Bob


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Luke hasn't been bad. A pleasant surprise so far.

Luke hasn’t been bad sounds like a compliment.
Luke is Luke warm at best.
No he hasnt been bad but he hasn’t been very good because he is who he is, a luke warm player who is lucky to be in the league.
I wish folks like Manning (miss me with that rim deterrent BS) and Forsberg would stop caping for him. Just let him play when needed and see what he can do.
The hype is boring and quite frankly unfair to Luke.

There is a reason why the team kept him around and it is starting to bear fruit.

There is an unspoken Ubuntu about this team. Next man up is often a lame platitude, but for this team, it is real and it is working.