Kornet's contract has to become a discussion point

If he keeps performing like he has been since the All-Star break, that is.

Luke Kornet is in the final year of his two-year $4.5 million deal. He’s cemented himself as the Boston Celtics third-string big man. When required, Kornet steps into a starting role and produces with a level of veteran consistency you rarely see from a genuine backup.

It’s not sexy, it’s not explosive, and most of the time, it doesn’t jump out of the screen at you. Yet Kornet has proven he can produce at the NBA level. He can screen, rim run, operate in the short-roll, contain the PnR, defend the rim, and pressure the offensive glass.

Since Joe Mazzulla took over as head coach last season, Kornet has been forced to adapt his approach. If you’re a big man on this team, then you’ve got to be effective on the perimeter. That doesn’t necessarily mean you must be a knock-down shooter who can pop off screens and drain catch-and-shoot threes. Nor do you need to be an Al Horford type of shooter who can linger in space, providing a release valve for probing ball-handlers.

Still, success looks different for everyone. Let’s examine how Kornet is finding his groove this season.

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Kornet’s perimeter creation

DHO’s

If you’re not a shooting big, creating for others is the best way to provide reliable impact on the perimeter. Sometimes, that means being a fluid screener. Other times, you will use your height to make reads over the top of the defense. Yet, the most common way Kornet has been creating is via DHO (dribble hand-off) actions.

Kornet has become a reliable connector for actions like the one above. He consistently finds himself in the right spot. He doesn’t call his own number. His size makes him a reliable DHO hub, as he can easily slot into a screen after getting the rock out of his hands.

In this clip we see a little more motion in his offensive movement. A ghost screen for Tatum Springs Kornet is free at the top of the perimeter. He gets the pass and flows into a second-side hand-off with Derrick White, which gets White onto his favored hand and allows him to curl and attack the rim.

Screening