NBA life isn’t easy for the Luke Kornets of the world. Yes, he makes a lot of money relative to the rest of us, but it comes with a price. He’s played in five different cities, his contract still isn’t fully guaranteed, and he’s only played in 18 of Boston’s 31 games. Yes, some of that is due to injury, but some is just the coach’s decision.
That's how it goes. His job is to stay ready, and whether it’s 30 minutes, 30 seconds, or 30 waves of a towel from the bench, he has to do whatever job he’s asked to do.
It’s not an easy ask, but Kornet is figuring it out.
“I think there's a lot of peace in just doing what you're told in a weird kind of a way and like knowing what your job is and trying to do that thing well and not worrying about things that you really can't control,” he said after playing 33 minutes against Toronto. “You can get lost in the emotions of that, but I think just focus on what your work actually is and then taking it day by day.”
On this day, with the Celtics missing their top two bigs, Kornet went from not playing against Detroit to starting against Toronto and dropping 20 points.
“I really trust Luke,” Joe Mazzulla said. “He has an innate ability to navigate our defensive coverages and to guard matchups, and not get held up on miscommunications. So he does a really good job of guarding different players and executing our different coverages really well, and the offensive end, I thought he does a really good job of creating indecision versus switching.”
The Raptors strength in their length, which they used to switch and slow Boston’s offense. Kornet took advantage of that in a huge second quarter where Toronto found an offensive groove. He was able to be part of Boston’s answer, scoring half his points on a perfect 5-5 from the field.
“They kind of did a couple of different coverages,” Kornet said. “They just made tags or help not as clear and made it a little bit more difficult where I ended up being the one who benefitted quite a few times. And the same thing with our guards being able to get downhill. They did a great job of finding me when I was available or being able to get offensive rebounds.”
Someone was going to have to fill the gap left by the absence of Kristaps Porzingis, Al Horford, and Jayson Tatum. Who it would be was up in the air before the game because so many guys would end up getting a chance. Toronto made decisions that left Kornet unchecked a little too often.
“I don't care who we're playing against, or what the starting lineup is, or what the bench is. I’ve got complete trust and confidence in the character of our locker room because of who they are,” Mazzulla said. “I think we can win any game, no matter what. So Luke's another one of those guys. He's a professional, shows up to work every day, plays his role, and it was awesome to watch him play at the level that he did.”
The starting center nod could have gone in a different direction. This story could have been about Lamar Stevens, who has gotten a start at the five this season. It could have been about Neemias Queta, who seems to be in line to usurp some of Kornet’s minutes. It’s obvious they are in competition for minutes, but Kornet doesn’t look at it that way.
“I feel like we’re just encouraging one another and trying to do whatever we can to help us win, whatever that requires,” Kornet said. “I feel like that’s the great thing about our group. I feel like everyone is behind each other and looking out for each other and happy for everyone else’s success. I think it’s something that’s pretty unique, but I think when your goal is to do whatever it takes to help your team win, then you don’t really care who does it or how it gets done.”
It’s a great attitude to have. It’s one the team really needs from a player like Kornet. It’s also, probably, the most difficult mental place to get to as a player in that position.
He’s 28 years old and maybe with some more opportunity, he can find himself some kind of multi-year deal worth a little bit more before his career winds down. It’d be easy to let thoughts like that become consuming.
“Starting in my time in Maine, I really made it a focus of just like we're here as a team, we're all just gonna try to figure it out and make each other better,” Kornet said. “You're able to share your joy a whole lot more and you're also able to kind of dissipate your struggles, I think, when you're connected with everybody else. So yeah, I do feel like it's the most fulfilling way to go about it. And when the days like this come, you're grateful that they're able to happen.”
It’s a rare attitude that's this positive in an NBA locker room. It’s one thing to accept your lot in life in a position like this. It’s another to fully embrace it and be at peace with it. It’s what allows him to be a positive influence.
“Luke is the ultimate teammate,” Jaylen Brown said. “Just a great locker room guy, gets along with everybody. He's funny, so he kind of just uplifts everybody, even in moments where we don't want to laugh. And then on the court, he’s just old reliable, is always in the right spot, does his job, screens, rolls, plays hard, gets those offensive rebounds, and steps up and in games like today. And he had a great game today. But Luke is the ultimate teammate.”
Who knows what Sunday will bring, or the game after that, or the weeks and months ahead. Kornet will have his moments, either on the court causing the bench to celebrate, or on the bench celebrating others. He’s fully on board with whatever the future holds.
“When you're concerned about yourself and you're in that situation, one, you start feeling a little bit powerless and stuff like that, which isn't great,” Kornet said. “But then also you're not really uplifting or benefiting anybody. …To me, it seems like the better solution is pretty clear. … You'd rather share with everybody around you and really enjoy the group and the team and the year because you're not going to get the same group again. So you can appreciate that for what it is.”