BOSTON — Luke Kornet said he found out right before tipoff that he was going to be a late add to the starting lineup. Al Horford was a last-minute scratch for the Rockets game Monday, so Kornet was inserted at the last second.
The key reserve big man made the most of his 33 minutes, finishing with 18 points and seven rebounds. There were some late-game execution issues in the Rockets loss Monday, though C’s coach Joe Mazzulla took all the blame for those. Regardless, Kornet has proven to be one of the best contracts in the NBA with his continued steady play.
“It was tremendous, just his physicality, his presence on both ends of the floor,” Mazzulla said. “Just thought he played a great game. So it’s huge when guys can step up. It wasn’t just him. It was Luke, it was (Xavier Tillman), (Neemias Queta), Jordan (Walsh), Jaden (Springer). So when you have situations like that, and you have guys that put you in position to win, that’s big-time. So Luke was great.”
Kornet’s been a steady presence throughout the season, often stepping up when a big man is out. That’s often been the case as the C’s are being cautious with both Horford and Kristaps Porzingis over the course of a long season. Kornet has averaged 5.1 points, 5.2 rebounds and 1.5 assists in his 41 games played this season.
What makes Kornet such a great value is his contract. He re-signed with the Celtics last summer on a minimum deal, turning down any other interested suitors in free agency. Considering his solid play on both ends for the C’s, he’s the exact kind of depth piece who helps at the margins.
Kornet has mixed-and-matched with double big lineup looks. His passing has been an underrated tool to keep the ball moving when he is in the game. While he doesn’t shoot 3-pointers anymore, his versatility has helped out the Celtics much like he did throughout Monday’s game.
The late-game mistakes were tough as the Celtics faltered in a back-and-forth loss to the Rockets. But Kornet’s overall play kept the C’s afloat, especially as Porzingis battled foul trouble early.
“Give credit to the guys,” Jaylen Brown said. “I thought guys came in and played well. Luke had a good game offensively. Neemi came in. Jaden gave us a little bit of a spurt. So we had guys step up to the plate and the rhythm of things, and we just didn’t convert in the fourth quarter.”
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