Luke Kornet taking pressure off Celtics trade needs with steady bench play

https://www.masslive.com/celtics/2022/11/luke-kornet-taking-pressure-off-celtics-trade-needs-with-steady-bench-play-brian-robb.html



Luke Kornet taking pressure off Celtics trade needs with steady bench play

Published: Nov. 28, 2022, 6:00 a.m.


By Brian Robb | brobb@masslive.com



BOSTON — One of the lingering concerns that many had about the Celtics heading into this season was on the big man depth front. Rob Williams was coming off of knee surgery and Al Horford is 36-years-old and outside of that duo, there was no center on Boston’s roster making more than the league’s minimum and had been a reliable backup center in the NBA.

While many around the league expect the Celtics to address this area via trade even after Williams returns to the floor next month, Luke Kornet is making it tough for the Celtics to find an upgrade for Boston’s price range. Through a quarter of the season, Kornet has quietly emerged as one of the better backup bigs in the league this year, highlighted once again in Sunday’s win over the Wizards with 12 points and four rebounds and a pair of blocks in 22 minutes as Boston improved to 16-4 overall.


Kornet’s numbers remain rather pedestrian on paper (3.9 points and 4.7 rebounds per game) for the season but the advanced metrics tell a more important story. Kornet is doing things to help this team on both ends of the floor that aren’t making the box score and quite frankly may be hard to find on the trade market for Boston’s limited trade assets and salary limitations.

According to Cleaning the Glass, Kornet ranks among the NBA leaders in several metrics on both ends. His block rate (4.4 percent) puts him in the 95th percentile in the league, a sharp increase over his career average. The Celtics have a 103 defensive rating when he’s on the floor, the best on the team among Boston’s bigs. That’s a number that is certainly helped by the fact that Kornet is going up mostly against second-unit offenses but it still shows why he’s a reliable force on the back line.


The biggest surprise with Kornet to this point has come on the offensive end though. He spent much of his earlier career in New York and Chicago as a stretch big but his priorities have changed now in Joe Mazzulla’s system. Flanked by reliable shooters all around him, Kornet is living at the rim for much of his looks and he’s making the most of those chances. Through 20 games, 79 percent of his shot attempts have come at the rim, which is more than double his previous season high of 37 percent two years ago. Kornet has been a far less athletic version of Williams this year while finishing, making 65 percent of his shots from the field, including 66 percent from 2-point range. That’s far and away the highest number on the Celtics and is within range of the league leaders among qualifiers.

Kornet hasn’t been looking for his shot much all year but the fact he’s able to finish so well with his size in comparison to past years has helped keep Boston’s offense humming. That’s something that has earned him accolades from his teammates.


“You can’t teach 7-foot,” Marcus Smart said Sunday night. “You can’t coach that. Luke was blessed, so Luke’s a great player. He’s a smart player, he understands the game. You got a guy out there like that, just like Rob, he makes it easier for us. He’s an outlet for us at the rim, he protects the rim for us, and we thank Luke for that man. Luke has been doing what he’s supposed to be, he’s been putting the work in, and it’s been showing. We give credit to Luke, and we love him. Proud of him.”

Kornet always is providing valuable court vision and screen as a big which is helping create plenty of separation and opportunities for Boston’s best shooters. His usage is the lowest of any player in the rotation so he’s a guy who is simply playing his role as well as possible, which is helping create open shots for his teammates or finish easy ones himself. His 16 consecutive field goal makes over a six-game stretch that ended on Sunday night is perfect evidence of that.


“I feel like just bring the energy defensively and just try to move the ball and get good shots offensively,” Kornet said. “It doesn’t really change, whether it’s the end or the first play of the game or whatever it is. You’re playing basketball, just try to win. It’s the same thing every time.”

While the Celtics will certainly be working in the phones in the coming weeks as trade season opens up, finding an upgrade on what Kornet is doing right now for Boston won’t be easy with the team’s assets. Rob Williams return in a few weeks will push Kornet onto the fringe of the team’s rotation and potentially out of it entirely so it may not make a lot of sense to try to upgrade a player who is clearly a key part of a terrific bench unit to this point. Brad Stevens may be better off trying to address another area of the roster with weaker depth (wing behind Tatum/Brown) or try to find another stretch power forward option with size.


The Celtics brass still has a couple of months to decide what type of finishing touches this group needs but the urgency to address the frontcourt has certainly faded in wake of Kornet’s strong start to the year.


Bob
MY NOTE: You know the worm has definitely turned when legit sportswriters are writing homage articles to Luke Kornet. This is why I hate making predictions. You'd think I'd have learned by now. And I disagree with Smart's statement that "you can't teach 7-foot". I'd say The Time Lord has learned 7-foot pretty damn well, and he's only 6'8".


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When the season started, I begged for a big. I am backing off on my request, at least for the present. someone last night compared Luke to Hank Finkel........believe me I sat thru a year of Finkel, there is no comparison. Luke is a much smarter player. This does not mean that, at some point, Brad may see things differently and find someone worth making a move for. For now, Luke fits in here. Joe seems to have faith in him also

I did not know until this past weekend that Luke has a pedigree. His dad, Frank was a pretty good player at Vanderbilt in the mid 80’s and played a couple of years with the Bucks. Apples and trees I guess.

I have to say that Kornet is playing better than I thought he would before the season started, but I still think that an improvement as a depth center is still a priority for the play off run.

Luke is doing his best to remind all of us in the various fan forums that we truly know nothing, although we think we're pretty savvy.

I hope he continues to make me, and his other detractors, eat our words.

Analysis of the  "Kornet Contest".






Bob


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It takes longer for bigs and pgs to develop. Most fans understand this rule of thumb. Brad and Co. kept him around for a reason, which many fans didn't understand. He is getting to the end of the arc on his learning curve, and we are liking the results!

I kind of get excited now when he comes into the game. What's he gonna do this time around that surprises the shite out of us?

One thing I saw a couple games ago, he scored on a O-rebound and never brought the ball down. That alone is a big advantage over most other bigs.

Now we have the "Kornet Kontest". In a small sample, it seems to have some effect. Perhaps there is something to it and in three years, when the entire league is kopying Kornet, we will be able to say that we were there at the beginning!

Yeah, maybe not. But wouldn't that be kool if it played out that way?

RosalieTCeltics wrote:When the season started, I begged for a big.  I am backing off on my request, at least for the present.  someone last night compared Luke to Hank Finkel........believe me I sat thru a year of Finkel, there is no comparison.  Luke is a much smarter player.  This does not mean that, at some point, Brad may see things differently and find someone worth making a move for. For now, Luke fits in here.  Joe seems to have faith in him also

Rosalie

I got to admit I was wrong about Kornet. He's playing great ball. He is a decent back up center. There is no comparison between Luke and Hank Finkel. I used to cringe when Finkel would come in to spell Cowens. LOL. I remember one time in the playoffs against the knicks, Cowens went to the bench and the knicks rattled off 10 straight points in like a minute and a half all due to Finkel's ineptitude. Finkel may have been a fan favorite, but he was not a good player. Jim Ard was much better.

gyso wrote:It takes longer for bigs and pgs to develop.  Most fans understand this rule of thumb.  Brad and Co. kept him around for a reason, which many fans didn't understand.  He is getting to the end of the arc on his learning curve, and we are liking the results!

I kind of get excited now when he comes into the game.  What's he gonna do this time around that surprises the shite out of us?

One thing I saw a couple games ago, he scored on a O-rebound and never brought the ball down.  That alone is a big advantage over most other bigs.

Now we have the "Kornet Kontest".  In a small sample, it seems to have some effect.  Perhaps there is something to it and in three years, when the entire league is kopying Kornet, we will be able to say that we were there at the beginning!

Yeah, maybe not.  But wouldn't that be kool if it played out that way?

I’ve heard great shooters like Eddie House say that the Luke Contest doesn’t effect their shooting at all.
Basic basketball. That’s not good defense. If it worked smarter players wound have done it years ago. Looks lazy to me and Luke does not appear to be lazy so the BB world needs to get a grip on reality.
The NBA loves gimmick schtick and numerous awards for anything they can come up with. Maybe they’ve conducted a thorough study that tells them that fans like all this extra.
Show me the study otherwise I have serious doubts.

Luke is really playing solid for us.

I too take exception to the QAnon like notion that jumping in the air some 20 feet from a shooter is a defensive strategy. For goodness sake, NBA players are terrific shooters. Open looks are easy money.

dboss wrote:Luke is really playing solid for us.

I too take exception to the QAnon like notion that jumping in the air some 20 feet from a shooter is a defensive strategy.  For goodness sake, NBA players are terrific shooters.  Open looks are easy money.

Back in the 60’s NFL when the passing game was more desperation than strategy defensive backs used what was called the “holler play” which was when they were beaten on a pass route they’d scream or holler in an attempt to break the receivers concentration or divert their attention. It would sometimes work on the younger, less experienced, or less skilled players. The Lance Alworth’s, Raymond Berry’s, Paul Warfield’s, Tommy McDonald’s of the world caught the pass and laughed all the way to the end zone. As dboss said, NBA players are terrific shooters, they are creatures of habit, who if they are not physically impeded, their shooting motion/shooting form is the same. They can literally hit 3 pointers blindfolded. Heck, for many even physical contact won’t change their form. So Luke’s defensive “strategy” IMO has about as much effect on the success of a shooter as Mel Renfro hollering at Paul Warfield number 42 jersey as he leaves poor Mel in the dust. But I guess it makes for good conversation for the talking heads “analyzing” the games.

I did not know that Luke and Blake could be effective bigs for us.

Now our bigman depth looks strong  (Horford, Williams, Kornet and Griffin)

Our PG depth is tops in the NBA as Smart, Brogdon and White are all 2 way players

Our 2 elite level wings are the best pairing because they both are 3 level scorers, that can defend and they can rebound in traffic. They are both multi-positional weapons.

Our specialists with Grant evolving into a more complete offensive and defensive weapon.  Sam Hauser a sniper off the bench and improving defender,  Payton Pritchard, a push push PG with deep range on his shot.

Danny Ainge built the foundation for a championship team and Brad Stevens put the finishing touches in place to create a masterpiece.

Luke FG on 2’s is 75%. I’d say he’s doing something right.

cowens/oldschool wrote:Luke FG on 2’s is 75%. I’d say he’s doing something right.

75% on Layups and dunks….
Still, he is
better then we all thought