Luke Kornet's Value Fully on Display in Celtics' Win vs. Nuggets

Rob Greene | 10 Hours Ago

May 13, 2024; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Boston Celtics center Luke Kornet (40) dunks against the Cleveland Cavaliers in the second quarter of game four of the second round for the 2024 NBA playoffs at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-Imagn Images / David Richard-Imagn Images

Luke Kornet got the start at center for the Boston Celtics in their first of two matchups with the Denver Nuggets in Abu Dhabi to begin the preseason.

The reigning champs held out Al Horford, with Boston having to be extra cautious with their center rotation due to his age and Kristaps Porzingis’ injury absence. With the help of Neemias Queta and Xavier Tillman Sr., Kornet provides a crucial layer of depth at the pivot.

Kornet, entering his eighth NBA season, having grown into a fixture for the Celtics, shined with his playmaking against Denver in 21 minutes. He registered 11 rebounds, six points, and three assists in the 107-103 victory.

Kornet has said a focus of his offseason work was to become more aggressive finishing around the basket. He also did an excellent job as a screener in pick-and-roll action, freeing ball-handlers like Jayson Tatum and Derrick White.

A special facet of Kornet’s game the last two seasons has been his instincts to create extra-live possessions in the paint with relentlessness on the glass for the Celtics. He orchestrates an extra layer of offense, thriving with his back-taps and creativity when passing out to shooters, making Boston’s front lineup a lot more fearful for defenses.

The seven-footer’s rise as an integral piece will only become greater as his improvements do the same. His comfort level in the Celtics' system, including anchoring the defense, and going from a floor-spacing five earlier in his career to one that makes most of his impact with his screening, facilitating, and IQ are incredibly value to the reigning NBA champions. Those attributes and Kornet's contributions will matter even more as Boston navigates the start of the upcoming campaign without Porzingis.