NBA Notebook: How Luke Kornet saved his NBA career with the Celtics

Former Vanderbilt manager Zach Hamer thought Luke Kornet would've blocked the moment from his memory. The early runs on campus featured Kornet, Hamer's future roommate who approached 7-feet and 180 pounds then, getting dunked on by alumni Jeff Taylor and Lance Goldbourne. Kornet had applied to attend the school and got wait-listed, showing up in April to play alongside Myles Turner on campus and earn himself a scholarship, but an intended redshirt season turned into an every-night role due to depth issues in the front court. He wasn't ready. 

"I felt like I was the worst player on the team," Kornet told Boston Sports Journal. "I was so physically behind everybody, the first few weeks of playing pick-up were rough and we had some (alumni), like John Jenkins, Jeff Taylor, Festus Ezeli, they'd all come around glancing over ... I remember just being overwhelmed, but I was still just doing the best I could in school and working out and stuff, and trying to get better and be not as bad for us, because I was pushed into early opportunities ... I think it was just like a period of a lot of maturity, physically and emotionally and spiritually." 

Kornet would shock the group gathering to watch him on that day, nearly one decade ago, by reaching the NBA. That goal appeared in his head and rose in conversations with Hamer, but Kornet didn't truly love basketball as a teenager into his young adult years. He placed pressure on himself and let struggles on the court consume him. The G-League and NBA provided his first joy playing, allowing Kornet to be himself and expand an untraditional game for a seven-footer that included layers of screening, facilitating and an odd eclipse move that helped the Celtics survive Robert Williams III's knee surgery early this season.

Frank Kornet, Luke's father, played for the Milwaukee Bucks from 1989-1991, reminiscing during a recent trip to watch Luke in Boston about when he played against Larry Bird, Reggie Lewis and Robert Parish at the Boston Garden in 1990. The dead spots on the floor were real. The visitor's locker room? Freezing. He managed one of the better performances of his career, scoring seven points in six minutes in a 129-111 loss. Luke, born in 1995, missed Frank's professional career that spanned into Italy through 1994, though Frank remembers a well-behaved, attentive toddler following one of his Bucks teammates around the facilities -- Tito Horford's son Al.

Luke played many sports growing up in Texas until his budding height pushed him toward basketball. He carried some of Frank's influence, memories and some regret over not staying in the US to fight to stay in the NBA, but before pursuing admittance to Vanderbilt, his father's alma mater, he mostly played for fun. Nicole, his All-American older sister, held the promise to play at the highest level. Luke emerged as the best player on his youth teams.

"I was mainly just always like a shooter and played (outside), and even though I was usually the tallest, it was more like, defensively, you'd guard the bigger guys, but offensively, it was do whatever you wanted," Kornet said. "In high school and then in college as well, I was fortunate that my dad and coach (Kevin) Stallings and coach (Bryce) Drew, definitely allowed me to play outside ... I think it helped a lot in terms of seeing the floor that way and reads. Especially the passing, just motion and movement ... despite the fact that I was tall, I was not athletic or strong or anything like that, so you just had to learn how to play to do well." 

The pass appealed to Kornet more than the points. He loved finding teammates, starting at Liberty Christian School near Fort Worth standing 6-0, only reaching 6-4 as a junior, then 6-10 as a senior, when he dunked for the first time in a game. In college, he grew to his current 7-2, studying computer science and mathematics as he struggled to support the 15-16 Commodores. Kornet shot 34.4% from the field, taking most of his attempts from behind the arc, but struggling at 23.6%. Physical limitations betrayed him, and he sometimes played out of position next to Damian Jones, with Kornet originally recruited as a power forward who grew too tall.

Hamer roomed with Kornet into their sophomore season and he learned the reserved big man loved to talk. They discussed their favorite NBA players, Dirk Nowitzki and Tim Duncan, Kornet later warming up to Dirk's rival. They talked about religion, Kornet embracing his Catholic faith more as he searched for an identity during his early years in college. They screamed at the TV battling each other in NBA 2K. Kornet loved sharing the basketball process with someone, and still credits Hamer for his growth during difficult years in college despite the manager accepting little credit. 

"Every night after we were done doing our homework, we were making our way to the gym and getting a workout in," Hamer said. "We always laughed, he was such a perfectionist at that time, probably, he would say now, to his detriment and I might agree with him. I'll always remember, if a drill said you're making seven threes in a row and if he makes six and misses his seventh, I'll never forget the moments of anger we both shared at that time in an empty gym with Taylor Swift playing on the speakers, which was certainly not the norm for that era, but that's what Luke liked to listen to." 

Along with adding 20-25 pounds into sophomore year, Hamer began seeing Kornet think the game in unusual ways. He took advantage of a verticality rule the NCAA later changed, allowing defenders to guard vertically without leaving their feet in the restricted area. Hamer said the NCAA showed examples of Kornet's defense in the lane when they changed the rule, allowing defenders to leave their feet and avoid foul calls in 2017. 

It didn't surprise Hamer, years later, when he saw viral clips of Kornet leaping in the post to block the shooter's view of the rim. Kornet created the move naturally to compensate for some of his agility limitations, and it continues to draw misses on shooters. Former Maine Celtics head coach and current GM Jarell Christian saw it on tape, emphasizing it in a film session with the team as Kornet's own way of continuing to try. He viewed it as an example of giving a damn. It threw shooters off and distracted their eyes, and he's seen the big man do a better job landing and repositioning himself to rebound after contesting the shot. Kornet believed it worked and embraced it.

"It's funny now seeing the eclipse, or whatever the hell he calls it, taking off and people following that lead," Hamer said. "He was truly one of the first people in college basketball to be all-in on verticality. That's just always what he's done, he just found a way to be in the way, because he's never been a great mover and frankly never will be a great mover, but just his timing and his understanding of the game has made him an elite defender."

Kornet went undrafted in the 2017 class despite productive junior and senior seasons, focusing on the pick-and-pop to hit the most three-pointers ever, 150, by a 7-footer in an NCAA career. The NBA introduced the two-way contract, adding two additional roster spots for each team to allow a young prospect to share time between the G-League and the pros. The Knicks signed Kornet as the first two-way player ever, and he went to Westchester with a talented team that included Trey Burke, Xavier Rathan-Mayes, Isaiah Hicks and Nigel Hayes. 

Westchester allowed Kornet to play the big man position his way, experimenting with different screening methods his coach Ross McMains, now an assistant head coach in Maine, saw Marcin Gortat do on the successful Wizards teams late last decade. Kornet hit 44% of his three-pointers, but honed in on playmaking and spacing methods that set him up for future success when he lost his shot later in his career. He finally had fun playing.

"Some of the stuff (Kornet) did then, is stuff that NBA teams will teach now, but it wasn't being taught then. He was just doing purely off of IQ and feel for the game and reading different coverages," McMains said. "(Gortat) used to do all this different stuff where he'd screen a zone, he'd start rolling and then he'd go screen a zone and the Celtics started doing a bunch of it a couple years back with Daniel Theis. Luke found ways to do it in multiple different coverages, so he did it versus the drop ... where you'd hard roll and then you'd go screen your zone, but he found ways to do it versus switches, where he'd be able to screen his zone, or he'd be able to screen, slip and then come back and set a second screen on both players." 

"The amount of open layups that he created for Trey Burke and Xavier Rathan-Mayes that year was awesome. I was constantly telling them, man, you guys gotta keep taking that big man out to dinner, 'he's just getting y'all wide open layups with the way that he's screening,' ... when he popped, teams would late switch him. They'd run a guard back to him late and he did a good job recognizing late rolls, where he'd pop, and then turn it into a roll late as he saw the guard running back to him, almost back cutting him. That was something that wasn't as common then that you see more common now." 

Kornet played 46 games with the Knicks in his second season, converted 36.3% from three, and earned a deal with the Bulls, where he struggled with injuries. He already broke his foot before his senior year at Vanderbilt. A broken nose disrupted his breathing in Chicago and impacted other areas of his body that doctors didn't discover until later. An ankle injury also lingered before he later had surgery to address it, ailments that further led him to question his abilities. He lost his jump shot, the skill that led him to the NBA, and after the Celtics traded for him in 2021, he landed back in the G-League entering 2022. Kornet's faith allowed him to embrace the opportunity with Maine though, and he told teammates to focus on what they control. 

"I think a big part too of feeling a lot less attachment of who you are and your value to basketball, that you can actually freely play and be yourself," Kornet said. "I said it for our team, 'if we are all miserable and bitter about not being in the NBA while we're here, we're gonna hate being in the NBA as well ... we're here,' and I think honestly, just sharing it with other guys and teammates, I think I'm built that way as a person, wanting to share in other joys and even sharing suffering. When you feel connected like that, like I did with our Maine group and how I feel with a lot of us (in Boston), it feels like such a more powerful and motivating force than just trying to go do it for yourself. If you're just going out there for yourself, when it goes bad, it's like rock bottom." 

Kornet landed with Cleveland opposite of the Celtics for his first game of 2021-22 as the G-League season stopped to support the NBA with emergency contracts amid rising COVID cases, then he returned to Maine to figure out how to have a relatively normal Christmas. He signed with Milwaukee one year ago in January, playing across town in New York against the Nets the night after the Celtics infamously blew a 25-point lead at Madison Square Garden in their own rock bottom moment that inspired them turn their season around. Kornet returned to Maine again, focusing on screening, running the floor and executing dribble handoffs. 

He always felt part of the Celtics, playing with Sam Hauser, Brodric Thomas, Theo Pinson, Juwan Morgan and others as they fought together back in the NBA. Pinson earned an NBA contract with Dallas he remains on. A string of trade deadline moves opened roster spots Boston signed Hauser, Kornet and Morgan into. They mostly watched the NBA Finals run, scrimmaging together and playing scout teams in practice. Kornet, normally a facilitator, played the role of Giannis Antetokounmpo during the second-round series. He got to handle the ball for the entire practice and shoot dozens of times. The fun continued, despite not earning minutes on the team. 

The Celtics started to believe in him behind the scenes. They traded Theis in the Malcolm Brogdon deal and signed Kornet to a two-year, $4.5 million contract, though one they waive through certain deadlines. He survived training camp, initially playing with the starters after Williams III underwent surgery, but he suffered an ankle injury that ended his preseason. Boston signed Blake Griffin. Kornet didn't fall into despair like he might've in the past, returning and winning the backup big man role after sitting early in the schedule by Joe Mazzulla's decision. He passed Griffin and Noah Vonleh, who the team traded on Thursday, by averaging 3.8 PPG, 3.1 RPG and 0.8 BPG on 68.4% shooting, a mark that shattered his 43.9% mark from the last time he played 30 games with the Bulls. 

The Kornet Kontest, to some, made him a viral hilarity. To the Celtics, he signified a victory for their talent assessment, a boost to their locker room as a beloved teammate and an important contributor to a 21-5 start capped by his 12-point performance in a blowout over the Suns where he threw down multiple reverse dunks. He hit 80.5% of his 41 shots from Nov. 16 through Dec. 7, blocking a shot each game and hitting a rare three-pointer at Atlanta. Most importantly, he played Mazzulla's defensive system expertly, ranking in the 100th percentile of the league, according to Cleaning the Glass, of limiting shot attempts at the rim and from three, and luring the greatest percentage of mid-range attempts when he played.

Today, Kornet's salary became fully guaranteed. 

"He's found a way," McMains said. "Where a lot of other people would've let struggling with their shot dominate their world, he's been able to pivot to other skill sets and constantly be a net positive for the group that he's on the floor with, because he brings value to others with the way he plays offense, getting from one action to the next, and the way he defends now. He's a tremendous rim protector, he's gotten really, really good in the drop, playing two-on-ones, so just seeing him develop in that has been awesome."

Here's what else happened around the NBA this week...

Atlanta (18-20): Allowed 130 points to the Lakers again and 143 to the Warriors without Steph Curry and Andrew Wiggins, including 54 to Klay Thompson as their defense buckled through another tumultuous week. They've lost 5 of 6 and fell to 25th in net rating, legitimately falling among the league's worst teams and only inside the east playoff picture by two games. This core appears to be reaching an existential crisis before the deadline. 

Boston (27-12): Suffered a startling loss to the Thunder without Shai Gilgeous-Alexander where they allowed 150 points, tied for the second most in franchise history that Malcolm Brogdon deemed to the Boston Globe a result of relaxing after the Oklahoma star got scratched. The Celtics scored a needed win over the Mavericks two days later, led by an elite defensive performance on Luka Doncic, but uneasiness remains with the team sitting at 10-8 over its last 18 games. They traded Noah Vonleh to the Spurs on Thursday to open a roster spot and shed some salary tax in a flexibility move. 

Brooklyn (26-13): Lost their win streak after a setback against the Bulls, but shook off a feisty Pelicans effort while Ben Simmons dished 10 assists. Kevin Durant rose into the top-three of the league's MVP rankings and spoke to ESPN, averaging 30.0 PPG, 6.8 RPG, 5.4 APG and 1.5 BPG on 56% shooting, unprecedented production for a player carrying his weight on both ends, at his age, four years after an Achilles tear. The Nets' stars with Nic Claxton, Royce O'Neale and Simmons are outscoring opponents by 13.1 points per 100 possessions in December. They host Boston on Thursday.

"I think coming into the training camp, we understood that it's going to be a lot on us from a media standpoint," Durant said. "From just the noise in general around our team, so I think that made us tighter once camp started. So we was able to take the Kyrie stuff and move in stride because we were already stuck together before that. We started to win some games, started to get better as a team, and do some things out there that work for us. And now it seems like everything was patched all together, but it felt like it was always cool." 

Charlotte (11-29): Stunned the Bucks behind a lockdown defensive effort and 63 points from Terry Rozier and LaMelo Ball. Although they may finish with one of the worst records in the league, you can see their potential when healthy. They're far from it again, with Gordon Hayward injuring his hamstring on Monday and missing the team's next two games, and Kelly Oubre Jr. undergoing surgery on his left hand, with no timetable for a return. The Hornets denied they are negotiating with free agent Miles Bridges in response to an ESPN report that they discussed a deal. Bridges remains a restricted free agent after pleading no contest to domestic violence charges. 

Chicago (18-21): Capped their best week of the season with a 126-112 win over the 76ers where Zach LaVine scored 41 points and Nikola Vucevic hauled in 18 rebounds during a 19-point triple-double. DeMar DeRozan and Patrick Williams each scored 22 points in a win over the surging Nets two games earlier, and the Bulls improved to 9-1 against the east's elite, with their lone loss in Boston. They return there on Monday for a final time. The Bulls rank No. 7 in offense and No. 13 in defense over their last six games, beating the Bucks and Pistons, and pushing the Cavs to the brink twice.

Cleveland (25-15): Donovan Mitchell scored 71 points in an astonishing performance to beat the Bulls in overtime, adding 11 assists in 50 minutes to join rare company. Mitchell moved into eighth place all-time for points in a game, passing Devin Booker's breakout in Boston and becoming the first 71-point scorer since Kobe Bryant famously netted 81 in Toronto in 2006. He also forced overtime with a successful intentional free throw miss and put-back, pulling off another rare feat before scoring 13 points to hold off Chicago in the extra frame. Mitchell shot 22-for-34 and overcame injuries to Evan Mobley (ankle) and Darius Garland (thumb). Mitchell received a drug test the morning after his outburst. 

''To be there in the record book with guys like Wilt is truly humbling,'' Mitchell said. ''I always believed I could be one of the best players in the league. I'm speechless and blessed to be in the company of that greatness.''

Cleveland will reportedly pursue wing options on the trade market, according to Jake Fischer, but are limited by the cost of potential targets.

Dallas (22-17): Lost their seven-game win streak against the Celtics in a game where Luka Doncic looked sore and struggled to breathe on his way to a strange 23-point performance where he shot 7-for-23 and turned the ball over more times than he assisted. The Mavericks beat the Rockets three times on their streak, as well as the Lakers, Timberwolves and Knicks, placing added importance on a matchup against Boston, who Jason Kidd considered the NBA's best team. The team waived Kemba Walker after the loss, and the team reportedly began eyeing Bojan Bogdanovic and a potential extension with center Christian Wood. Josh Green (elbow), Dorian Finney-Smith (ankle) and Maxi Kleber (hamstring) remain injured. 

Denver (26-13): Nikola Jokic keeps getting better. The Denver rims do not. A tilt again delayed the Nuggets' win over the Cavaliers on Friday after a 40-minute delay marked the Celtics' loss in Denver on Sunday. Jokic scored 30 points with 12 rebounds and 12 assists, powering Bruce Brown's 21-point effort while Jamal Murray sat out the front end of the back-to-back. They lost to Minnesota the next day, before holding the Clippers to less than 20 points in the first and second quarters, forcing their potential chief conference rival to punt on the second half. Jokic scored another 28-point triple-double over Cleveland, after comfortably settling into pole position in the MVP race, potentially setting himself up for the first three-peat since Larry Bird.

Detroit (11-31): Bojan Bogdanovic is unsurprisingly fielding interest from the Cavaliers, Mavericks, Suns and Lakers, as Detroit demands a first-round pick in addition to a young player or additional draft capital. The Pistons signed Bogdanovic to an extension, paying him $20 million next season and $19 million in 2025, with only $2 million guaranteed in the final year. Bogdanovic's breakout season turned into a perfect storm that could bolster the Pistons' rebuild. Marvin Bagley III will undergo right hand surgery that'll reportedly cost him six weeks. Saddiq Bey, who downed the Warriors with a last-second three earlier this week, could also be available as he reaches extension eligibility this summer. Killian Hayes dished 13 assists in the win, returning from suspension for punching Moe Wagner.

Golden State (20-19): Klay Thompson could be turning a corner as he tries to maintain the Warriors' standing in the west without Steph Curry and Andrew Wiggins. Thompson poured 54 points and a three to force overtime against the Hawks, and averaged 33.6 PPG on 46.6% shooting over his last five games, hitting 40% of his threes, along with 3.2 APG. Curry participated in five-on-five activity, nearing a return from his shoulder injury that could come as soon as next Friday. Wiggins (adductor) expects to return from a 15-game absence on Saturday against the Magic alongside Andre Iguodala. James Wiseman (ankle), Jonathan Kuminga (foot) and JaMychal Green (leg) will be re-evaluated in one week. 

Indiana (22-18): Buddy Hield and six other Pacers scored double-figures to challenge the 76ers, pushing the game into overtime on a 10-0 run keyed by Bennedict Mathurin's rim pressure and Hield's shooting. Tyrese Haliburton added 12 assists to his league lead and the Pacers remained in a tie for the east's sixth seed with the Knicks after wins over the Raptors and Trailblazers. It would've been stunning to think they're better than both of those teams, and tied with the Clippers in the loss column after beating them last Saturday. Here they are, thanks in part to Aaron Nesmith, who's averaging 9.5 PPG. 

Clippers (21-20): Lost their fifth straight game, starting with their trip to Boston and finishing with a frustrating loss to the Timberwolves, allowing 25 points to Rudy Gobert. The day before, Kawhi Leonard sat after 18 minutes, Paul George within 14, preparing for Minnesota and falling behind 66-32 at halftime in a runaway loss to the west-leading Nuggets. Leonard sat in the loss to Miami and George's 45 points couldn't top the Pacers on New Year's Eve. Leonard contested Ty Lue's decision to punt on the Denver game, and they've fallen short through another week of building cohesion together. 

Lakers (18-21): They're fighting without Anthony Davis, thanks in large part to Herculean efforts by LeBron James, who recently turned 38 and scored 25 points with 10 assists to beat the Hawks after dropping 43 and a running reverse slam against the Hornets. He sat in-between while LA took on the Heat, and Dennis Schröder picked up the offensive load to stun Miami with 32 points and decisive late free throws after turning his ankle. Thomas Bryant, stepping into the role Davis vacated, has four double-doubles over the last six games, including 38 points and 30 rebounds in two wins over Atlanta. The Lakers have won 5-of-6, rose to 12th in the west, 1.0 game back of Utah for a play-in berth. They lost Lonnie Walker IV (knee) and Austin Reaves (hamstring) for the next two weeks. James, meanwhile, trails Kareem Abdul-Jabbar by 459 points for No. 1 on the all-time scoring list. 

Memphis (25-13): Ja Morant and Jaren Jackson Jr. scored 63 points against the Magic, missing Desmond Bane, who added 19 points and 11 rebounds as the Grizzlies beat the Hornets, and they flashed their defense to slow the Kings. Sometimes it feels like they win every game, now on another win streak at five, with three winnable games ahead against the Jazz and Spurs. Their starting lineup has only played six games and 61 minutes together, but they've now outscored opponents by 26.1 points per 100 possessions, with a 96.3 defensive rating. They're a fun, swagger-filled group that need to improve their record against the west. It's impossible to rule them out of the Finals though. Morant is somehow understated among must-watches.

Miami (21-19): They've waited and waited and waited, trusting Victor Oladipo can regain some of his old form working back from multiple devastating quad injuries. He delivered with 26 points in 32 minutes, scoring a badly-needed win out west over the Suns. It somewhat made up for a rough showing in LA while LeBron James sat, failing to contain Dennis Schröder. They've climbed to eighth in the east with five wins and two losses since Christmas. They still rank 23rd in offense, and it'll take more than four strong Oladipo showings to believe they're pointed in the right direction on that end. Jimmy Butler, their engine despite a roughly .500 record with and without him, is battling a knee injury while the team monitors John Collins' availability.

Milwaukee (25-14): They lost a stunning home game, 138-109, to the Hornets by allowing 51 points in the first quarter, Charlotte tying the 2019 Warriors for most points ever in an opening frame. Giannis Antetokounmpo sat after 22 minutes, resting following an extended run of reliance on his otherworldly production with Khris Middleton injured. Giannis averaged 39.1 PPG, 14.9 RPG and 5.5 APG on 54.7% shooting in the eight games prior, but with 5.5 turnovers and 3.6 fouls each night. He found Grayson Allen for a game-winning three on Wednesday over the Raptors, who erased a 21-point deficit in under four minutes to force overtime. MarJon Beauchamp joined the rotation more regularly this month, the beginning of needed adjustments. Jae Crowder could still join the picture too, with Matt Moore reporting on the nearly completed three-team deal that the Rockets scrapped in the fall. 

Minnesota (19-21): Outside of the playoff picture in the west at the moment, despite scoring an encouraging win over the Clippers headlined by Rudy Gobert's 25 points and 21 rebounds. D'Angelo Russell added 25 of his own while Anthony Edwards struggled with five before leaving the game with a hip injury. Edwards had pushed the Wolves past the Nuggets and Blazers with 29 and 32, bouncing back from a loss to Detroit where he sat. Karl-Anthony Towns (calf) isn't close to returning, talking Gobert through a missed layup on Friday, reportedly sitting weeks from a potential return.

New Orleans (24-15): Zion Williamson injured his hamstring and will miss at least three weeks, knocking him off his All-NBA track and positioning him to miss the Pelicans' trip to Boston on Wednesday. Brandon Ingram (toe), who has missed 20 straight games while Williamson maintained the team's contention hopes, should return to action soon, but a date hasn't been set. Naji Marshall emerged with 23 points to help CJ McCollum challenge the Nets, but New Orleans only mustered 102 points after beating the Rockets earlier in the week in their first game minus Williamson. 

New York (22-18): Julius Randle deserves more credit for the Knicks' competency, buying back into the defensive habits that drove the team's surprising playoff appearance in 2021 while carrying their offense. He's averaging 28.9 PPG, 12.0 RPG and 4.3 APG on 46.1% shooting, only turning the ball over 2.5 times each night while the Knicks won 10-of-15. If he can maintain that production, they can compete in a playoff series, and potentially win if Quentin Grimes is a 14.3 PPG scorer like he averaged over that stretch. RJ Barrett, missing since Dec. 27 with a finger laceration, still has stitches in. 

Oklahoma City (17-22): Scoring big points in the new year, unloading for their most as the Thunder with 150 over the Celtics while Shai Gilgeous-Alexander sat. Josh Giddey, Lu Dort, Jalen Williams, Tre Mann and a steadily-improving Isaiah Joe all reached the 20-point mark in the win. Gilgeous-Alexander returned with 30 points in a loss to Orlando and win over the Wizards. They're still only 2.0 games back of the Jazz for the 10th seed.

Orlando (14-25): Jonathan Isaac returned to practice in full after not playing through multiple injuries since Aug. 8, 2020, missing two full seasons and transitioning him from the centerpiece of this young roster to a 25-year-old just trying to get involved again. He remains without a timetable for return, with the Magic's focus now fixated on Paolo Banchero, who's in the lead for the rookie of the year award and scored 57 more points in a win over the Thunder and narrow loss to the Grizzlies. Jalen Suggs, out since Nov. 25 with a right ankle injury, returned for five minutes, scoring two points on Memphis. 

Philadelphia (23-15): Their defensive unit that rose to No. 2 through the end of 2022 took some heat in a close win over the Pelicans and overtime victory over the Pacers where Joel Embiid sat. James Harden's 26 points secured the win, but his game-winning block on Andrew Nembhard is exactly what you want to see from this group to make you believe in their postseason success despite the past playoff mishaps of its stars. Embiid sat again with foot soreness against Chicago, a 126-112 loss, with Doc Rivers announcing he's doing better but doesn't have a timetable to return.

Phoenix (20-20): A scary watch right now. Chris Paul played 12 minutes and left with right hip tightness in Friday's loss to the Heat, where Deandre Ayton jacked jump shots and a Suns group playing without Devin Booker fell to .500 and ninth in the west. They've fallen far from their top record in the NBA last season, especially Paul, who's struggled to play consistently and is averaging 13.1 PPG and 8.3 APG when he does. If Paul misses time, Ayton's play in the weeks ahead could make or break their season before the trade deadline. He's averaging 17.6 PPG and 9.8 RPG, but they need more.

Portland (19-19): Their offense is slipping into 2023 after a damaged defense gained the benefit of Gary Payton II returning in a win over the Pistons. Payton injured his ankle in his debut and missed losses to Minnesota and Indiana where Jerami Grant and Anfernee Simons couldn't carry the offense alone. They're ninth in offense and defense over their past 15 games, and Payton's injury doesn't seem serious, keeping the Blazers alive in the west. Shaedon Sharpe, their rookie high-flier who started the season hot, will reportedly participate in the dunk contest next month in Utah. 

Sacramento (20-17): A team reliant on its offense looked to its starters to do almost all of their scoring in a win over Utah and loss to Atlanta. They're playing a ton of close games, and Malik Monk is the only viable candidate lately to support De'Aaron Fox, Domantas Sabonis and the starters, and they've fallen to 16th in offense and 26th in defense over their last 15 games, losing eight. Keegan Murray won west rookie of the month for December.

San Antonio (13-26): Suffered a weird loss at the buzzer to the Knicks where they couldn't get the ball in or a shot off down by three points to the Knicks after a blowout loss at the Nets. They returned home to beat the Pistons behind Tre Jones' 25 points, and they'll host the Celtics on Saturday having beat them in nine of their last 10 home games. Former Celtics Romeo Langford became a starter last month for his defense, and is averaging 6.9 PPG on 49.6% FG. He scored 23 points on 11-of-15 shooting last week to beat the Knicks, and has hit 17 of his last 34 shot attempts over his last six games. 

Toronto (16-23): They've lost 5-of-6 and sit as far back from the playoff picture in the east (2 GB) as they do ahead of the Magic, the team closest trailing them. They're 20th in offense and defense over their last 15 games, losing 11, and as hard as it is to believe after their brilliant run last season, it could be over for this core. Nick Nurse admitted they can't count on the roster being healthy, Otto Porter Jr. (foot) isn't progressing, and Precious Achiuwa probably wasn't making a difference over the past month. Scottie Barnes has brushed with a sophomore slump, they don't pass well and their defensive connectivity doesn't speak well to the coaching staff's impact this year with such gifted personnel. Their trade asking prices? Astronomical. 

Utah (20-21): In the west playoff race and seventh in offense while losing 11 of their last 15, scoring a win behind Lauri Markkanen's 49-point outburst against Houston. He's averaging 24.5 PPG on 52.9%, rocketing toward what should be his first all-star berth. His season is a fun story of potential meeting opportunity and the right situation, an exemplary offense under Will Hardy. The door is opening toward dropping into the lottery though, and as the trade deadline nears, many of their players will carry value from their hot start. They face many tough choices. Markkanen and Mike Conley, for now, are safe.

Washington (17-23): Bradley Beal (hamstring) is hurt again and Wes Unseld is experimenting with Kristaps Porzingis and Daniel Gafford together in the front court while they try to find some defensive consistency. There's enough here to contend for a play-in spot if they can find it, much like they did in 2021, but they quickly traded Russell Westbrook after that loss and they finished worse the next year. Rui Hachimura, at least, is making strides.