The San Antonio Spurs have been without Victor Wembanyama plenty of times this season, although Luke Kornet has quickly proven himself well worth the contract he signed in the offseason.
Last summer, the San Antonio Spurs offered Luke Kornet a four-year, $41 million deal with a simple mission in mind: keep the team afloat in the event that Victor Wembanyama can't play.
Kornet had established himself as one of the more reliable backup bigs in Boston, but he had played behind Al Horford, Kristaps Porzingis, and even small-ball center Jayson Tatum. In San Antonio, he would be tasked with being Wembanyama's primary backup, at times even the first man off the bench.
A shoulder injury caused Wemby to miss time early this season, and Kornet didn't miss a beat. The Spurs looked just as good with him down low as they did with Wembanyama, and he's only gotten better as the season progressed.
While he doesn't put up gaudy stat lines like his French teammate, Kornet has been the picture of reliability, and that hasn't changed in the postseason.
Luke Kornet Has Been Spurs' Unsung Hero
In the regular season, Kornet averaged 6.5 points and 6.1 rebounds. Those aren't exactly All-NBA numbers, but he managed to keep the Spurs afloat in minutes and games where Wembanyama wasn't playing.
Kornet posted a defensive rating of 111 and an offensive rating of 154 in the regular season. Compare that to Zach Collins' 119ORtg and 116DRtg during his time with the Spurs last season, and it's clear that the Spurs have leveled up.
In his three playoff games so far for San Antonio, Kornet is averaging 11.3 points and 8.3 rebounds, all while doing a decent job of protecting the rim.
"Stabilizer, connector on offense, great job screening," listed Mitch Johnson. "It was probably our best night screening. He did a great job, obviously, on the boards and bringing resistance around the rim. And he did it in 30 minutes."
In Game 3, without Wembanyama, Kornet posted an efficient double-double and hit his first 3-pointer in over two years. Not a bad showing!
Of course, the Spurs are hoping that Wembanyama can return in time for Game 4 on Sunday night, but there's a good reason why the Spurs are 3-1 against Portland in games this season that Wembanyama doesn't play: Kornet might not be an All-Star starting-caliber center, but he's a reliable starter and definitly one of the best backup bigs in the entire NBA. His four-year contract was a masterstroke by the front office in the offseason, and it's already paying dividends.