There isn’t a role on the court for an NBA player that doesn’t come with its own unique stresses, but for deep rotation players like Boston Celtics big man Luke Kornet, it can be especially hard to stay mentally prepared and focused on what the team as a whole requires when defining where you fit in that mix is not always clear.
Injuries and competition for the role complicate the situation as much as matchups, injuries, and whether the game is the second half of a back-to-back. But after his best game of the season with the Celtics vs. the Toronto Raptors on Friday night, Kornet shared how keeping what the team needs in mind helped him through that process.
“It definitely does (help),” said the Celtics backup center via The Athletic’s Jay King.
Why Boston's Derrick White should be an All-Star, per JJ Redick https://t.co/qGO2XiXGY8 pic.twitter.com/e0lfKQIBTw
— The Celtics Wire (@TheCelticsWire) December 30, 2023
“I feel like when you’re concerned about yourself, and you’re in that situation, one, you start feeling a little bit powerless, which isn’t great,” said Kornet.
“But then also you’re not really uplifting or benefiting anybody. And especially on an NBA roster and those 18 spots, there’s going to be a lot of guys who aren’t playing on any given night and you kind of have the choice to be able to, yeah, sort of like offer your work to the good of the group or just kind of close in on yourself.”
“To me, it seems like the better solution is pretty clear in that,” he added.
PHOTOS: Boston vs. Toronto – Celtics survive strong second half by Raptors 120-118 https://t.co/8b93nCdr37 pic.twitter.com/WXZBa6NGRN
— The Celtics Wire (@TheCelticsWire) December 30, 2023
To his credit, that perspective gave him the opportunity to be ready for a contest that needed nearly every one of his 20 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists, and as many blocks in his first start of the season.
And had Kornet not been in place to tap away a desperate attack on the basket in regulation’s waning seconds, Toronto might have sent the game into overtime.
It wasn’t by much of a margin, but the Vanderbilt product’s decision to not get in his feelings about a recent dearth of playing time had him ready to give the game what it needed, and to keep the Celtics’ near-record home streak intact.
New episode of the Celtics Lab Podcast on YouTube, via @CelticsCLNS
Checking out the latest trade rumors with @BobbyKrivitsky
Sponsored by: @FDSportsbook https://t.co/mCLAaHAE8u
— Celtics Lab Podcast (@CelticsLab) December 28, 2023
Listen to the “Celtics Lab” podcast on:
Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3zBKQY6
Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3GfUPFi
YouTube: https://bit.ly/3F9DvjQ
