The Celtics’ biggest question mark for many pundits entering the 2023-24 season was depth at center. Kristaps Porzingis and Al Horford created a formidable duo after some offseason dealing but durability questions lingered around both given their injury history and age.
Brad Stevens tried to fortify the spot by adding Xavier Tillman at the trade deadline but throughout the year, Luke Kornet put an end to those questions. He was a rock-steady presence for Joe Mazzulla on nights off for Porzingis and Horford.
While Kornet surprised with his regular season production, there were understandable questions about how well that steadiness would translate to the postseason. Could Kornet hold up against better teams in the playoffs? The Celtics were set to find out quickly in this second-round series with Porzingis expected to miss weeks as he recovers from a calf injury.
After a solid performance in Boston’s Game 5 win against the Heat (two points, seven rebounds, two assists and a block), Kornet changed the equation on Tuesday against Cavs in Game 1. The big man was the bright spot off Boston’s bench in the 120-88 blowout victory, posting four rebounds, 10 rebounds and a pair of blocks.
On a night when the Celtics started out sluggish, particularly on defense after falling behind the Cavs early, Kornet provided an unexpected spark on both ends of the floor.
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RIM PROTECTION
The Cavs are far from an offensive juggernaut but they have a pair of dangerous scorers in Donovan Mitchell and Darius Garland that have given the Celtics bigs headaches. Horford struggled early in this one in drop coverage against Donovan Mitchell, putting all eyes on Kornet when he entered the game midway through the frame as the primary backup center.
Kornet immediately found a way to impact the game defensively. He provided great help defense on one of his first possessions with a block on Isaac Okoro. The bigger story was how well Kornet held up against Mitchell at the rim. He blocked one shot against the All-Star and contested well on several drives. Those possessions helped to jumpstart a defensive turnaround for Boston, as the Cavs were limited to 15 points in the second quarter on 5-of-21 shooting from the field.
REBOUNDING
The Cavs have been vulnerable on the glass for the past two years in the postseason. That’s been heightened in this series with the absence of starting center Jarrett Allen (bruised ribs). Boston is bigger than Cleveland at several positions already and no one took better advantage of that in this game than Kornet. The big man tallied six offensive rebounds in 21 minutes helping build a big edge on the glass all night for the hosts.
Boston piled up 13 offensive rebounds on the night and crushed the Cavs on the glass overall (55-38) by holding off second-chance opportunities for Cleveland constantly beyond their lone effective big (Evan Mobley).
Put simply, the Cavs have no one off their bench who can match Kornet’s length in this series as Tristan Thompson has always been a subpar defensive rebounder. Until Allen returns, Kornet’s work on the glass could be a surprise edge for the Celtics in this series.
FINAL THOUGHTS
There may ultimately come a time this playoffs when Kornet’s limitations are put on display but it seems unlikely to happen in the Eastern Conference portion of the playoff bracket. The Cavs are undermanned and lack bulk in their front court while the Knicks are without their best rebounding bigs now with Mitchell Robinson and Julius Randle out for the remainder of the postseason.
The Celtics won’t have much opportunity for Kornet once Porzingis returns but that could still be weeks away at this point. In the meantime, the seven-footer looks to be a surprise weapon off the bench for Boston for a group that keeps getting a lift from various parts of their second unit on a nightly basis.
