Luke Kornet plays ‘ol’ reliable’ in Celtics win over Raptors, with off-court mindset to match

https://www.celticsblog.com/2023/12/30/24019626/boston-celtics-luke-kornet-toronto-raptors-joe-mazzulla-jaylen-brown-maine-celtics-g-league

The third-string big man is the definition of “stay ready.”

By Jack Simone@JackSimoneNBA  Dec 30, 2023, 8:00am EST  6 Comments / 5 New




Fresh off a grueling overtime win over the Detroit Pistons on Thursday night, the Boston Celtics returned to TD Garden on Friday for the second night of a back-to-back against the Toronto Raptors. Except in this one, they were down Jayson Tatum, Kristaps Porzingis, and Al Horford.

Missing their two top big men, Luke Kornet was propelled into the starting lineup. A massive jump, considering he hadn’t appeared in a game for Boston since December 12 against the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Not only did Kornet give the Celtics the quality minutes they needed from him, but he put up career numbers.

“Luke is another one of those guys - he’s a professional,” said head coach Joe Mazzulla. “He shows up to work every day, plays his role, and it was awesome to watch him play at the level that he did.”

Kornet finished the night with 20 points (his most in a Celtics uniform), eight rebounds, three assists, and three blocks while shooting 9-of-11 from the floor.

Exhaustion kicked in toward the end of the game, leading to some questionable defensive showings, but for the majority of the night, Kornet was a rock for the Celtics.

On both ends of the court, Kornet always managed to find himself in the right spots, and that’s exactly why the Celtics love him.

“I really trust Luke, and he really has an innate ability to navigate our defensive coverages. And to guard matchups and not get held up by miscommunications,” said Mazzulla. “And so he does a great job of guarding different players and executing our different coverages really well.

“And on the offensive end, he does a really good job of creating indecision against switching. Sometimes he hits under, sometimes he slips out. I just think he’s one of those players that when you’re playing against switching and trying to be unique defensively, he can really execute that.”


During Boston’s recent West Coast trip, the bulk of which Kornet missed with an adductor strain, two-way big man Neemias Queta surged up the rotation. By the time Kornet was cleared to play, the Celtics were still going to Queta, who, while still a bit raw, is an elite hustle guy with a nose for rebounds.

But as soon as his number was called, Kornet was more than happy to step right back into real minutes. And, in this case, more minutes than he’s used to.

“He’s just ol’ reliable,” said Jaylen Brown. “He’s always in the right spot. Does his job, screens, rolls plays hard, gets those offensive rebounds, and steps up in games like today. And he had a great game today.”

And off the court, he’s just as impactful.

“Luke is the ultimate teammate,” said Brown. “Great locker room guy. Gets along with everybody. He’s funny, so he kind of just uplifts everybody, even in moments when we might not want to laugh.”

Not knowing when you’re going to get to play isn’t an easy fate to grapple with mentally. It’s one of the most common reasons young players can fade out with their first teams and why lots of players choose to play overseas instead of in the NBA.

For Kornet, the struggles he’s faced throughout his career have led to a different mentality.

“I do feel like I thought I was there earlier in my life and my career, but frankly, I feel like there was quite a bit of suffering in my career that kind of opened it up. Where you just realize [you’re] playing for yourself. Then, when it wasn’t going well, it was kind of always about yourself as well. Just doing anything for yourself is not a very high or fulfilling goal.”

But his on-court life wasn’t all that led him to his current mindset.


“Also, just part of where I was in my life as a husband and father helped shape things in terms of realizing the best things I’m doing in my life are the things that I’m actually doing for other people.”

Kornet’s career started with the New York Knicks, and he found some early success, averaging 6.7 and 7.0 points, respectively, in his first two years and showing signs as a potential floor-spacing big.

He then signed on with the Chicago Bulls before eventually getting traded to the Celtics at the 2021 deadline. And while he came up big for them in spots that year, he didn’t earn a spot on the roster heading into the next season.

After some 10-day stints with the Milwaukee Bucks and Cavaliers, Kornet settled into a spot with the Maine Celtics, where he found his footing and eventually got the full-time call-up to the big leagues.

That journey is what molded the player he is today - the guy who steps up when the Celtics need him.

“Starting in my time in Maine, I made it a focus of, ‘We’re here as a team, and we’re all just going to try and figure it out and make each other better,’” said Kornet. “I feel like you’re able to share your joy a whole lot more, and you’re also able to dissipate your struggles, I think, when you’re connected with everybody. I do feel like it’s the most fulfilling way to go about it.

“It also makes it so when days like this come, you’re grateful that it’s able to happen, but you also know that if it’s not for Derrick, and JB, and Jrue, and Payton, and Sam, they’re helping me out. But I’m trying to do my job to help them out.”

The definition of a true “role” player. Kornet really impressed me last night.