The Celtics are waiting patiently for the start of their second round series so let’s hit the mailbag while we are waiting. Joe Mazzulla put together a great turnaround for Boston in Round 1 after an ugly Game 2 so it will be interesting to see how the team looks after a long layoff. If you have questions about the Celtics or NBA, email brobb@masslive.com or tweet @briantrobb
Hi Brian, I noticed that one voter had Tatum for #1 as Clutch Player of the Year. Given his late game struggles, even most diehard Celtics fans would call this optimistic. Are we missing something? What is the reasoning someone might have cast this vote? Thanks for your great columns! — Gabe
That would certainly a surprising vote for this year Gabe given that Tatum has been in a shooting slump in late-game situations. However, over the course of his career, Tatum actually has a pretty decent track record in these areas whether it comes to showing up in big games (Game 6 in Milwaukee stands out in 2022, Game 7 vs. Philadelphia last year). There is no defense against anyone making this vote this year for what we’ve seen but the small sample size isn’t reflective of what to expect from Tatum in these type of moments moving forward.
The bigger challenge for the Celtics the rest of the way will be trying to get him into bette spots for these moments. Boston really wasn’t tested at all on this front against Miami (all wins were by comfortable margins) but that’s obviously unlikely to be the case for the upcoming rounds. Whether it’s using Tatum as a decoy in these situations or just getting the ball to him in better spots, moving away from desperate isolation shots will increase the odds of getting him out of this late-game slump.
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Is Kornet too much of a goofball for playoff basketball? He looked mostly great on Adebayo *mostly* but the playoffs is not the time for the Kornet Kontest – Not Miki
There is little doubt that Kornet is the biggest character on the team on certain fronts with his goofy celebrations and tactics. However, it’s important to draw the line about that stuff impacting his play. He’s a limited player and I would agree Kornet contests are not exactly the sort of stuff you want to see in meaningful playoff games. There is still a lot that he brings to the table in these games including offensive rebounding, good rim protection and length and a willingness to sacrifice for others within the offense. There is no confidence that the on/off numbers have been great for him and the bench all year. If Game 5 against the Heat was any indication, Kornet will be the primary option at backup center with Porzingis out until further notice. He could be played off the floor against certain opponents but there is no indication of that yet.
BRobb,
What does a potential Luke Kornet extension look like and do you think the Celtics pay up to keep him? He seems like a great fit both on and off the court for what they need but he is always pretty good when he plays so worried that his price may be too high, especially if he keeps playing well with added opportunity in the next couple of rounds. Thanks, —Matt D
Is this the Luke Kornet mailbag this week? He suddenly has become the most high profile free agent this summer after Jrue Holiday’s extension last month. Boston does have early Bird Rights at this point on him, so they will be able to pay him up to mid-level money if they decide to. He certainly won’t command close to that on the open market but the truth is he may have played himself into being more than a minimum level player, particularly if he holds up well in these postseason minutes in the upcoming rounds.
The Celtics will be very careful about their spending for end of the bench talent since they will well over the second apron with their spending next year already, meaning every dollar spent additionally will cost them roughly three dollars with penalties factored in. Kornet has established himself as a reliable contributor and his importance is big as a depth piece with Porzingis’ injury history and Al Horford becoming a year older. Would bet he comes back on a team friendly deal perhaps with an extra year or two of guaranteed money in order to keep his cap hit as low as possible.
