Luke Kornet (Appreciation) Thread - Signs with Spurs 6/30/25

[ConstableGeneva]

Celtics fans: WE SHOOT TOO MANY THREES!! FIRE JOE!
Also, Celtics fans: Why isn't Luke shooting threes when he's wide open?!? Fire Joe!

[bisme37]

Celtics fans: WE SHOOT TOO MANY THREES!! FIRE JOE!
Also, Celtics fans: Why isn't Luke shooting threes when he's wide open?!? Fire Joe!

I've been curious about it, not mad haha.

[Fencer reregistered]

A while back I was wondering why Luke used to shoot 3's but doesn't with the Celtics.

Why Luke Kornet stopped shooting three pointers

Since Joe Mazzulla became head coach of the Boston Celtics, the team has shot a league leading number of three-point attempts. The offensive scheme, which some call “Mazzulla ball”, emphasizes the math and spacing advantages that a high volume of three point shooting provides. Celtics players have been encouraged to be aggressive getting up as many attempts as possible and as a result we have seen most of the roster take a career high in attempts behind the arc in the past 2 seasons.

However, there is one player on the roster that defies this trend entirely. Luke Kornet spent the first 4 seasons of his career playing the role of a stretch 5, taking over 60% of his shots from behind the arc and seemingly only sticking around in the league because of his skillset as a 7’2 center who could hit threes. However, since signing with Boston 2022, Kornet has played over 2,500 minutes and taken just 19 attempts from three. So why the sudden change in his play-style despite being on a team that emphasizes the three point shot so heavily?

When we listen to Joe Mazzulla talk about his philosophy and watch the Celtics play we can get an understanding of why they shoot the three ball as frequently as they do. He wants his players to have the most spacing possible to consistently create efficient shots for themselves and others. However, just because a player stands behind the line and occasionally shoots a three doesn’t actually mean that they are effectively spacing the floor. And while 3 is more than 2, spot-up three-pointers aren’t always efficient shots.

Looking back at Kornet’s first four years in the league, he was taking over 90% of his three point attempts while classified as “open” or “wide open”. So it seems that during his time as a stretch 5, he wasn’t actually stretching the defense. He also shot about 33% on these attempts so his scoring efficiency was well below average for a center.

At the start of the 2021-2022 season, Kornet was still unsigned. During the season he got 10-day contracts in Cleveland and Milwaukee that were not renewed. However, at the trade deadline an opportunity opened up for him. After multiple trades, the Boston Celtics had open roster spots, and their new GM, Brad Stevens, happened to be a former coach of Luke. Stevens clearly saw some untapped potential in him and he signed him for the rest of the season and gave him a 2 year fully guaranteed deal later that summer.

Since then, Kornet has played a different role than the one he was cast into at the beginning of his career. The Celtics started using him as a roll man who can run dribble handoffs, catch lobs, and grab offensive rebounds at a high rate. His lack of shot creation and unspectacular athleticism might have caused teams to shy away from playing him in this role earlier in his career but Boston seemed to realize two things about Luke: he makes good decisions with the ball in his hands and his massive 7’2 frame can be a weapon near the basket.

He sets solid screens with his wide frame and provides an easy target to hit as a roll man. He can make a good pass to an open teammate or finish at the rim if the defense doesn’t rotate in time. He has also proven to be an excellent lob threat adding a dimension of vertical spacing that would otherwise be missing on nights that Porzingis is out of the lineup.

His statistical profile reflects the shift in his role and his effectiveness. Through his first 4 seasons Kornet posted a TS% of about 53%, significantly below average for a center. Since the start of the 2022-2023 season he has a TS% of about 71%, making him one of the most efficient scorers in the NBA. He was just okay at making open shots from behind the arc, but he’s fantastic at finishing good opportunities around the basket. He’s also averaging 4.6 assists per 100 possessions this season, reflecting his increased usage as a playmaker.

Playing closer to the rim has also allowed him to utilize his offensive rebounding skills. His offensive rebound percentage was just around 4% during his first four seasons but he’s brought that way up to 12.5% since arriving back in Boston. He finished 7th in the NBA last season in offensive rebounds per possession.

The advanced statistics reflect an increase in effectiveness from his role change over the past few years. He has nearly tripled his win shares per 48 minutes (WS/48) from around .085 his first 4 seasons to around .230 since 2022-2023. Last season he was 4th in the NBA in net rating.

Kornet’s evolution is a good example of why Mazzulla ball isn’t purely about the 3 point shot. Boston has done a good job utilizing Luke for his strengths and putting him in a position to be effective. And it turns out that position in inside the arc rather than as a stretch 5.

https://old.reddit.com/r/bostonceltics/comments/1iut5ba/why_luke_kornet_stopped_shooting_three_pointers/

At the rate he's improving other aspects of his game, I'm fine with Luke not working to fix his 3pt shot as well.

That said -- perhaps with a Pritchard-like work ethic he could indeed be improving on everything.

[ConstableGeneva]

Celtics fans: WE SHOOT TOO MANY THREES!! FIRE JOE!
Also, Celtics fans: Why isn't Luke shooting threes when he's wide open?!? Fire Joe!

I've been curious about it, not mad haha.

Hah, I didn't mean you.

[FlatearthZorro]

Bro is finally comming to a realization that he's huge and he can rebound, dunk and bullly people cause he's like a foot taller than an average NBA player.

[31to6]

Bro is finally comming to a realization that he's huge and he can rebound, dunk and bullly people cause he's like a foot taller than an average NBA player.

so easy for tall guys to feel almost apologetic about their height. (Maybe especially the smart + kind kinds of guys, but maybe that's stretching my armchair psychologist degree too far)

Luke seems to finally be getting 'over' that, and to my eye looks more like he's stepping onto the court looking to make things happen via physical contact. It's almost surely going to take him from vet min/emergency backup only to well paid/rotation level -- bad for us (after this year), but good for Luke!

[redslastlaugh]

No, lol, Luke not shooting 3’s is why he’s so effective as a big option given our personnel. It’s like in the 2023 playoffs when Rob had a higher offensive rating than Al without Rob ever taking a 3pt attempt during the playoffs.

“Fire Joe!” I think is hyperbole, just people being funny … right? Like, I’m a main “we’re shooting too many threes” guy but I think they should cut out the worst five to ten 3PTA per game, not fire Joe. I think “FIRE JOE” is a bit…

Celtics fans: WE SHOOT TOO MANY THREES!! FIRE JOE!
Also, Celtics fans: Why isn't Luke shooting threes when he's wide open?!? Fire Joe!

[ConstableGeneva]

No, lol, Luke not shooting 3’s is why he’s so effective as a big option given our personnel. It’s like in the 2023 playoffs when Rob had a higher offensive rating than Al without Rob ever taking a 3pt attempt during the playoffs.

“Fire Joe!” I think is hyperbole, just people being funny … right? Like, I’m a main “we’re shooting too many threes” guy but I think they should cut out the worst five to ten 3PTA per game, not fire Joe. I think “FIRE JOE” is a bit…

Celtics fans: WE SHOOT TOO MANY THREES!! FIRE JOE!
Also, Celtics fans: Why isn't Luke shooting threes when he's wide open?!? Fire Joe!

It’s just for dramatic effect haha. Apart from 1 or 2 guys on here, no one really is demanding for Joe to be fired anymore regardless of how many threes we take. The Venn Diagram of Cs fans from set 1 and set 2 might also just be a dot lol.

Anyway, I’ve held from the start that Luke shouldn’t be taking threes even if wide open. Offensive diversity is really good. Defenders can sag off him all they want. JT demands multiple defenders anyway and Luke knows where to go and what to do with the ball when JT throws it to him.

[brackdan70]

I am prematurely saddened because I don’t think we will get him back next year. Dude could sign a 3/30 somewhere if he wants. Maybe more.

[Parasite]

If the Knicks had Luke instead of us, our positions would be flipped right now. Yes, he’s a very good player who has been unfairly crapped on by far too many fans.

[Tatumfor2]

If the Knicks had Luke instead of us, our positions would be flipped right now. Yes, he’s a very good player who has been unfairly crapped on by far too many fans.

The players rolls would be reversed, but I don't think the teams positions would be. We'd still have Tatum, KP, and Al up front. KAT would be a fine third center on this team.

[31to6]

If the Knicks had Luke instead of us, our positions would be flipped right now. Yes, he’s a very good player who has been unfairly crapped on by far too many fans.

The players rolls would be reversed, but I don't think the teams positions would be. We'd still have Tatum, KP, and Al up front. KAT would be a fine third center on this team.

can't BELIEVE you called KAT a 'center'

[ConstableGeneva]

If the Knicks had Luke instead of us, our positions would be flipped right now. Yes, he’s a very good player who has been unfairly crapped on by far too many fans.

The players rolls would be reversed, but I don't think the teams positions would be. We'd still have Tatum, KP, and Al up front. KAT would be a fine third center on this team.

can't BELIEVE you called KAT a 'center'

A center who doesn't defend is no center to me.

[Parasite]

If the Knicks had Luke instead of us, our positions would be flipped right now. Yes, he’s a very good player who has been unfairly crapped on by far too many fans.

The players rolls would be reversed, but I don't think the teams positions would be. We'd still have Tatum, KP, and Al up front. KAT would be a fine third center on this team.

Ok maybe our playoff positions wouldn’t be flipped. I don’t know. But the Knicks could definitely use Luke. No presence defensively in the interior is their biggest issue.

[Tatumfor2]

We're missing him today. I hope everything is ok.

[shackles10]

If the Knicks had Luke instead of us, our positions would be flipped right now. Yes, he’s a very good player who has been unfairly crapped on by far too many fans.

The players rolls would be reversed, but I don't think the teams positions would be. We'd still have Tatum, KP, and Al up front. KAT would be a fine third center on this team.

can't BELIEVE you called KAT a 'center'

"After all that"?!?!?!

[shackles10]

Are the Kornet's having a baby or what's going on with the personal reasons for missed games? Hope it's congratulations and not condolences...

[bisme37]

Terrific Kornet article where he's been deemed the NBA's most underrated player...

https://thef5.substack.com/p/the-f5s-most-underrated-player-of

[ConstableGeneva]

Who cares about all these tracking data and analysis. Use your eyes, people!

[bisme37]

Who cares about all these tracking data and analysis. Use your eyes, people!

Mr. Kornet runs deep!