BOSTON — When Luke Kornet subbed out in the first quarter of Game 2, it was clear he was dealing with some kind of injury. But Kornet never came back into the game because of a left wrist sprain, though there’s no update on the extent of the injury.
Regardless, how the Celtics adjusted to Kornet’s absence was the big question mark. Kornet has been the primary reserve big man off the bench, so someone needed to back up Al Horford. Xavier Tillman seemed like a potential option as he’s seen some spot minutes in the playoffs. But instead, C’s coach Joe Mazzulla turned to an interesting wrinkle: Small-ball lineups.
There were some looks where 6-foot-7 forward Oshae Brissett was the center, which was seen when he checked in. Brissett was a nice energy spark as he played 12 minutes and got his first taste of real playoff basketball minutes. Mazzulla also rolled with some lineups where Jayson Tatum was center as the team adjusted on the fly throughout the Game 2 win over the Pacers.
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“It was a plan to just stay open-minded,” Mazzulla said. “I knew every game is going to be different, especially with these guys and their ability to just put pressure on you in different ways with their lineup. It was plan to get to something like that eventually. So we were kind of forced into it, but I thought it went well. I liked the speed, I like the athleticism, I liked the spacing that we had.
“So it presents strengths and some weaknesses that we have to be ready for, but the open-mindedness throughout the year to play different ways kind of prepares us for situations like this.”
As Mazzulla mentioned, there are going to be some growing pains with the small-ball lineup at times. Pascal Siakam had no issue scoring late in the second quarter against that look, using his size. Rebounding will also have to be emphasized when small. So there are plenty of factors to consider if the C’s do indeed go small for stretches again.
But the Celtics’ adaptability is also the big plus. Brissett was tied for the team-lead with a plus-18 rating during his 12 minutes. So while he didn’t provide a huge scoring boost, his energy provided the Celtics with a different feel during the game. It’s an area to keep an eye on going forward if Kornet misses any time as the Celtics tinker with different looks and lineups midway through a series or game, like Thursday. Regardless, they’ll look to keep to tack onto their 2-0 series lead in Game 3, set for 8:30 p.m. Saturday at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
“I feel like all of our guys can guard anyone they have out there,” Brissett said. “Even if it’s Jrue (Holiday) playing the four, it doesn’t matter. He’s strong and he knows his positions defensively. Myself as well. We like to switch. We’re all like size guys. So it really doesn’t matter who we have out there, who they have out there, we all know what we want to do defensively and we’re able to execute out there.”
