‘I was hoping to come in’: Luke Kornet happy to make an impact in his Celtics debut
Kornet scored eight points in the Celtics' win over the Thunder.
When Luke Kornet hit the floor for the first time as a Celtic on Saturday night, he made an immediate impact.
The 7-foot-2 center didn’t use his size though to help change the game. Kornet’s first noticeable play came just seconds into the fourth quarter, dishing an assist to Jayson Tatum for a dunk to cut the Thunder lead 80-78.
Three possessions later, with the score tied at 82 apiece, Kornet scored his first points as a Celtic. Kornet got open in transition, standing behind the 3-point line at the right elbow, and nailed the shot. The bucket gave the Celtics their first lead of the night.
OH HELLO KORNET! pic.twitter.com/TJBcuEtuEk
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) March 28, 2021
Kornet got back to it on the ensuing Celtics possession. With the shot clock winding down, Tatum found Kornet open at the top of the key. Kornet, standing four feet behind the 3-point line, made another bucket to put the Celtics up 88-82, capping off a 10-0 Celtics run.
Saturday’s game came a little more than 48 hours after Kornet was dealt from the Bulls alongside Moritz Wagner for Daniel Theis and Javonte Green. While Kornet’s still getting acclimated to his new situation, he was ready for the challenge in Saturday’s game.
“Coach (Brad) Stevens told me after halftime to be ready, so I was hoping to come in,” Kornet told reporters after the game. “…It was a lot of fun just to play with this group. Watching them in Milwaukee, super talented and just good dudes. So, it was fun to be able to get out there and play.”
Kornet made his presence felt on the defensive end, too. After committing a turnover on the offensive end, Kornet got back quickly on defense, forcing Thunder guard Theo Maledon to make a bad pass at the rim. The play led to a Celtics steal and an easy transition dunk for Tatum to put them up 95-82.
Kornet protects the rim ➡️ Tatum hammers it home in tonight’s @JetBlue Play of the Game! pic.twitter.com/rkzxcUbJ7w
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) March 28, 2021
While Kornet is known around the league for being a center with the ability to shoot, Stevens mentioned the play he made on defense as a reason why the Celtics were intrigued by him.
“The biggest thing with Luke, obviously, Luke is a guy who can shoot the ball,” Stevens said. “We’ve also been intrigued with Luke for a long time because of his pick-and-roll defense. His ability, he’s always in a good position. He’s long. He affects shots at the rim. He’s a guy that we’ve always had an interest in because of those two things.”
While Kornet’s defensive effort on that play didn’t show up in the stat sheet, he was appreciative that his new coach noticed it.
“I’m not necessarily really going after blocked shots or even going after defensive rebounds, but I’m just trying to make life harder (on the opposition) and secure the ball for our team,” Kornet said. “So it’s great when you have a coach that kind of picks up on the nuances of what you’re trying to do and appreciates it.”
In the game’s closing minutes, Kornet made one last bucket for the evening. He hauled down an offensive rebound on a Jaylen Brown missed shot, easily putting it back up for a dunk to put the Celtics up 104-89.
After making his Celtics debut, Kornet seems to be happy with his new home.
“The last couple of days have been pretty eventful,” Kornet said. “Besides a couple hour period of where I realized what was going on, once I got over the [shock] I was just excited to come here. Boston’s an awesome place, and a franchise that I’ve always liked, appreciated, and still watched. So, it’s really cool to be here and be able to play with these guys.”
Get Boston.com's browser alerts:
Enable breaking news notifications straight to your internet browser.
To comment, please create a screen name in your profile
To comment, please verify your email address
Conversation
This discussion has ended. Please join elsewhere on Boston.com