Luke Kornet joins the Celtics career-high club by dominating the glass against San Antonio

The field goal attempts column in a box score can say a lot. When I see a big number there, I know to look for a few things. 

The Celtics took 94 shots, the 19th time they’ve taken at least that many in a game, so it’s a few more than usual. The first place I look when a team is putting up more shots than usual is the turnovers, but the Spurs only had four. It’s surprising that Boston was able to put up 94 shots while only scoring three points off turnovers. 

The next place to look is the offensive rebounds. 

Boston had 15 of those, seven of them ending up in Luke Kornet’s hands. 

“As I said before the game, los perros estan aqui,” Kornet said of his night after the game. “The dogs are here tonight, a little San Antonio flair.” 

Kornet has been Boston’s big dog on the boards lately. He’s the only Celtic to play in all eight of Boston’s wins during this streak and all 14 of the games in this 13-1 March. His +/- this month is +110, second only to Derrick White’s +111. 

Kornet is having a major positive impact despite being ninth in scoring this month. The reason is that he’s grabbed 39 offensive rebounds, giving Boston extra possessions and taxing the opposing defenses as they have to scramble instead of running out in transition. 

Heading into March, the Celtics averaged 10.9 offensive rebounds per game, 19th in the league. This month they're grabbing 12.4, fourth in the league. Kornet is leading that charge. 

“He carried us through a tough stretch at the beginning of the season, and he continues to make big-time plays for us,” Joe Mazzulla said after the game. “We're really grateful to have him.”

Kornet isn’t known as the most physical player on the planet. His reputation isn’t one of a bruiser who throws bodies around and takes what he wants on the court. He’s not like Steven Adams, who trails Kornet in total offensive rebounds by only nine despite playing almost exactly 500 fewer minutes. But the key to Kornet’s success is trying to find his inner brute. 

“Start caring less about yourself physically and start launching yourself into the trenches,” Kornet explained. “I feel like I’m a left guard, basically, of basketball. So I try to take pride in that, protect my guys, enforce, those types of things.” 

But launching oneself into the trenches is only part of the story when it comes to rebounding. Yes, Kornet is doing a very good job of mixing it up in the paint to get himself into position for rebounds, but he's also mapping out where the ball will go so he knows where to set up.

“I took geometry in high school,” he joked. “Angles. Trig. Alternate interior angles theorem. That kind of stuff.” 

First of all, let’s take a moment to congratulate Kornet on being the first player in NBA history to mention the alternate interior angles theorem in a postgame interview. Or maybe he’s the second behind Dennis Rodman from The Last Dance?

Either way … NERD ALERT! 

Which makes what he’s doing even more fun. Because if Kornet was a foot shorter he’d be some dad joke-telling insurance guy. He doesn't seem like the type to mix it up down low, but he’s getting the hang of it. 

“Honestly just being able to watch our team for a couple of years and you see (Jayson Tatum), (Jaylen Brown), and Jrue (Holiday), and the physicality that they play with and the advantages that it creates,” he explained. “I understand some people are a little more visceral and emotionally engaged, but I feel like that's what it sort of takes. And you try to initiate that to put yourself in the best position and you just try to do that over and over again.” 

Kornet has done just that, adding his name to Boston’s post-All-Star “career-high” club. Everyone else has done it with points, but Kornet’s 16 rebounds against the Spurs was his NBA best. Red Auerbach called rebounding the second-most important aspect of basketball behind scoring points because you’re either clearing a missed shot to finish a defensive play or giving your team a chance to score after a miss. 

Kornet has been doing a lot of both lately. He is mastering the art of being a star in his role, and it is paying off in a big way for the Celtics.