Luke Kornet is having the very best season of his profession.
Getting into Saturday night time’s 121-111 Celtics win over the San Antonio Spurs, Kornet was averaging 5.1 factors and a profession excessive 5.4 rebounds. Within the win over the Spurs, he scored 15 factors and grabbed 16 rebounds, together with seven on the offensive glass.
His rebounding has been excellent this season, and his hustle and lack of look after his physique has been a giant a part of that. He instructed NBC Sports activities Boston’s Abby Chin after the sport, “begin caring much less about your self bodily and simply launching your self into the trenches. I really feel like I’m a left guard principally of basketball, so I attempt to take pleasure in that. Defend my guys and pressure these sort of issues.”
Kornet’s offensive rebounding has been an enormous key for Boston this season; the Celtics offensive rebounding proportion jumps from 25% when Kornet is off the court docket to 33% when Kornet is on the court docket this season. Their 2nd likelihood factors per 100 possessions jumps from 12.6 to 18.1 with Luke on the ground.
He’s the very best offensive rebounder on the group and his rim safety stats have been superior as properly.
With Kornet on the court docket, the Celtics have given up 61% to groups on the rim; when Kornet is off the court docket, Boston provides up 66% on the rim. 66% on the rim remains to be excellent however with Kornet within the sport this season, the Celtics have the very best rim safety within the league.
He was requested by CelticsBlog’s Not Dalzell after the sport about his physicality and the way he has modified as a participant all through his profession. He mentioned, “I used to undoubtedly see the sport a sure means, and a now sort of identical to it by way of totally different lens. One simply at all times bodily bringing the power and looking for the contact and initiating contact.”
Requested Luke Kornet (16 rebounds tonight) about what the method of turning into far more bodily has regarded like.
He mentioned a number of it was within the weight room and dealing with coaches like Amile Jefferson — in addition to a mindset shift:
“Numerous it for me was only a transition in… pic.twitter.com/Gv9zqELnva
— Noa Dalzell (@NoaDalzell) March 30, 2025
His reference to Jayson Tatum has additionally been nice this season. Within the minutes that Tatum has performed with out Kornet this season, the Celtics have a web score of +7.1. With Kornet and Tatum on the court docket, the Celtics web score doubles to +14.5.
That chemistry was on show but once more on Saturday night time.
Tatum simply makes the best play right here. He sees that the entire Spurs eyes are on him and throws a no-look lob to Luke who was prepared for it to return.
On this play, Tatum units the display from Jrue Vacation, who additionally had an superior sport on Saturday night time, and attracts a number of defenders on his roll to the rim. Massive Luke sees this and makes an awesome go to Baylor Scheierman who drains the three.
It wasn’t all excellent from Kornet on Saturday night time. The Spurs did a very good job of looking for him out on switches and making the Celtics pay.
Chris Paul did an awesome job of this, profiting from Luke on a number of events.
He additionally missed a few chippies across the basket, all three of his misses had been on layup makes an attempt.
He must convert on these makes an attempt across the rim within the playoffs.
Nonetheless, these errors across the rim and Chris Paul beating him off the dribble don’t take away from the massive night time and massive season Kornet had and is having. He has been superior for the Celtics and re-signing him has been an even bigger deal than anybody might have imagined.
