The Luke Cornett Game: Best Backup Player Of The Players In NBA History

The luke cornett game, and i’m like, no, no, no. This is the luke cornett season. He’s been better than borzingas because borzingas has just been a shell of himself this year, whatever it is health wise whether it’s an illness or injury, I don’t know. But Luke Cornett, the development that we have seen from him deserves to be acknowledged.

And finally, on a grand stage, Fans outside of Boston are seeing that he’s a very productive role player and he’s going to have a payday at the end of this season for sure, whether it’s with the Boston Celtics or not. Per pivotfade.com, in the regular season, 1,361 minutes played. The Boston Celtics have a 401 plus minus, a plus 14.7 net rating with him on the court. The offense is better. The defense is better.

And then When he’s off the court, it drops down to a plus 6.2 net rating. And you saw Joe Mazzulla in the second half, enough is enough. He started Luke Cornett, and man, oh man, did he dominate that third quarter defensively. Five blocks in the third quarter. Let’s just take a look at the film. We start out on the offensive end of the floor. Plays like this really set the tone for a team. Al Horford cleans up a missed free throw, and then later on, Luke Cornett cleans up a mislayup.

And the thing about him is he has really quick feet for a seven footer. So oftentimes he’s going to be put in actions because teams want to, you know, try to target him because they think, oh, Jalen Brunson should get the better of this matchup. But you see Cornette here. Yeah, eventually Brunson gets the edge, but guess what? There’s no way he’s getting a shot off around the rim with that much length against him. So now he takes it all the way out to the perimeter.

Double team eventually comes. Celtics executed that perfectly. Now you got Josh Hart creating a shot deep into the shot clock. You live with the result. You saw that times in the second half. Josh Hart bailed them out because Luke Cornett was disrespecting him from three. But overall, you’re going to live with Josh Hart hitting shots.

The funny thing is, I don’t know if you guys noticed, but this exact concept happened in the first half with Boston. At times, Derek White was trying to attack Mitchell Robinson, but he’s low-key quick with his feet and very very long overall you got to be careful with switch hunting because it can really disrupt your flow offensively and your ball movement. Now we got a Spain pick and roll. Josh Hart screening, and then they’re going to screen Cornette. I mean, it works to perfection, except Josh Hart don’t want to shoot that three.

It’s so impressive to me at his size, he can go full speed on that closeout, but at the same time, he doesn’t end up out of position. He stays in front. He doesn’t allow Josh Hart to bait a foul, forces a pass, and then he makes up the ground to help out a smaller Drew Holiday at the rim. I mean, come on now. I mean, think about Karl-Anthony Towns, the first situation where Brunson’s driving at him in the pick and roll.

How many times is he going to foul Brunson in that situation? Pretty consistently. Same with the Josh Hart play. Big men are prone to fouling when quicker guards are attacking them. But Luke Cornett, he’s so smart. He doesn’t commit dumb fouls. Only averaging 1.6 fouls per game in 18.6 minutes. Also averaging a block per game. So he’s consistently contesting shots. And rarely do you have him commit those silly fouls.

That’s one of his most underrated skills. And not only that, but offensively, he’s doing his job. He’s screening for mismatches for his teammates like Jalen Brown. When Jason Taylor was healthy, of course, Derek White, he’s always looking to screen for mismatches or just helping the pick and roll if they’re in drop. He’s a great connected passer.

That’s another underrated skill he has. And then, of course, he’s attacking the offensive glass. He averaged 2.6 offensive rebounds per game in the regular season. So he’s been having a career year quietly. Not many people outside of Boston know it, but this game does not surprise me whatsoever. He’s been doing this and he’s going to get a payday.

Luke, did you know that Kristaps was not going to play in the second half? No. I mean, Judge just told me that I was going to start the second half, and then, yeah, it just kind of went from there. When did you guys kind of turn the page from the injury last game to this game in between the days, and was there somebody who kind of led that charge or kind of spurred on?

This Is The Luke Cornett Season

I do feel like, yeah, I mean, obviously there’s quite a wave of emotions in this place where you’re kind of at after the last game. I feel like we had our meeting and film and walkthrough and stuff yesterday, and just getting rid of JB and Al, I feel like he’s kind of like spoke and talked to us, and I feel like Ali did a great job of really just understanding the situation, and yet at the same time it’s like,

I understand we do have a game to play and to go out and represent ourselves well and to play hard. And so I feel like those two kind of really led the way in that. I think that, I mean, stayed the course throughout the game. But obviously when those two guys are kind of at the front of it and lead you into it, then it’s easy to just kind of follow the course and, yeah, do the best you can. What did those guys say to you?

I mean, I think the – obviously I feel like they were very just – aware of kind of the situation that it was, you know um and so there’s definitely parts like just kind of like. Expressing that and all of us kind of like just recognizing that and being in that um at the same time that. Yeah, we do have uh an opportunity to move forward and we said take it one game at a time and the goal for today was just to make it back to new york um and yeah you just gotta take it one game at a time and um yeah just go out and uh you know compete and.

Represent our team well, represent ourselves well, and yeah, kind of just try to hold it out for JT. Yeah, I mean, I think he’s just expressing that obviously, you know, he’s on his path towards recovering and stuff like that. Then yeah, just like kind of encouraging us to, you know, keep doing the job and keep trying to accomplish the goal, and Yeah, I mean, it’s obviously a situation that none of us hope to be in.

Still, I think Joe kind of throughout the year has been stressing just kind of the message of, like, you just have to love the situation that you’re in. You can’t really control that, but you can’t just control how you respond to it, and… kind of that’s whatever the situation is that presents itself is like the exact situation that we’re meant to be in and that we need. So yeah, I think we just accept that and then just choose how you’re going to respond.

Like that’s the one thing you can do about it and the one thing you can kind of operate in life. How were you able to respond with a career-high seven blocks, five in the third quarter? Yeah, I mean, I feel like it was just trying to Make plays, obviously, our season’s on the line. So, you know, trying to have just a lot of energy and make plays.

I feel like, I mean, it was everybody. I feel like everybody stepped up and we were very connected and very just aggressive and forceful and obviously did our job for the day. And, you know, we have to go out and do it again and it’ll require different things on Friday. But just kind of keep that same mentality and just do whatever it takes.

If your role going forward is to start, how would you accept that? I mean, it’s kind of how I’ve been throughout this year and throughout my time at Celtics and throughout my career is just whatever coach asks me to do, I’m just there to do it. And so, like I said, whether I’m starting or coming off the bench or not playing at all, that kind of comes with the responsibility that that is, and you just have to do your best job with whatever position that you’re put in.

Yeah, that’s what we’re always trying to do as a team. What does it mean to you personally to impact a do-or-die playoff game like you did tonight? Yeah, I mean, I’m very grateful just to be able to have the opportunity to play and obviously to make a big impact. And I feel like, yeah, honestly, just like the connection that we had, I feel like as a team and with all the teammates and in the situation that we’re in, I feel like it’s just really special to be a part of. Like when you’re doing it, you just kind of get lost in it.

But yeah, it was obviously a lot of fun to have the night that was tonight and You have to be able to just do whatever the park calls for the next time. Were you surprised to be asked to do the interview after the third quarter? Yeah, I mean, I guess I did, but we kind of went on a run and stuff. And so, yeah, when that happened, I was like, oh, okay, sure.

But, yeah, I just sort of…take it. Unfortunately, I was a little tired and didn’t have my usual wit and charm. I think I remember Blake doing a little segment on something about that, but I didn’t really have my best showing. Can you get in a rhythm as a shot blocker and what do you think in that particular was making you so effective? Yeah, I mean, sometimes it’s weird where it just feels like the plays kind of line up.

It’s hard to really say anything other than, like, you’re just kind of reacting to what’s happening. I feel like, yeah, just being in the right spots and trying to be aggressive. Yeah, sometimes it sort of feels that same kind of way, although it’s weird to say if that’s actually real or if it just quantifies. You know, there’s the old hot hand fallacy. I don’t know if that applies to blocking shots. Someone can do the research. Are you a believer in the hot hand? No.

I’m a believer in the hot hand. Yeah, well, this is the thing. If we have to look at the data, anyone who’s making shots sometimes wouldn’t say that they have the hot hand, even if they’ve made a couple. But then there’s some times where you’ve made a couple and you know it. But then you take bad shots and you still make them sometimes. I don’t know. That’s getting into weeds.

Does that apply if you’re seeing the ball well for the box or however you want to describe it? I feel like the thing that you do feel in that is that you’re just kind of lost in the moment and you’re not really second guessing or doubting anything, you’re sort of reacting and playing. So I do feel like that’s kind of a similarity of just like, I feel like you guys are feeling good when it comes to shooting.

It’s just like, you’re kind of subconscious through it all. Do you feel like the barking is catching on? There is a good amount of barking today, yeah. Yeah, shout out to D-White because he fostered me into joining back because I was a little, you know, just trying to live in the moment and survive in the moment.

But the barking has got on, so shout out to the barking. He kind of started it at one point, or at least to me, and then I was like, ah, I need to, yeah, so I barked. Nice. Derek, seeing Luke step up the way he did, I mean, he was barking at the crowd in the third quarter. How hyped up did that get you guys? What did that mean to see that, along with the actual impact he made on changing that game? Yeah, he was unbelievable.

Luke Kornet and Derrick White on Celtics Game 5

I mean, he came in and just seemed to be always in the right position. And seven blocks is crazy. And he was unbelievable tonight and really stepped up when we needed him. So he’s had a great season. And it was a big time for us tonight. Were you guys barking with him? Yeah, I was barking with him. It’s just fun to see him do that.

Derek, obviously you guys lose Jason Tatum just the other night. How much of this win did it feel like it was emotional or kind of for him or how much were you guys thinking about him as you were preparing and then also just balancing the fact that you guys really need to win this game at the same time? Yeah, I mean, honestly, losing JT is tough, especially for how much work he puts into the game.

Works on his body and everything he does to go out and compete every night. And so seeing him go down was tough. But we got a lot of guys out here that are highly competitive. And we didn’t want our season to end tonight. So just going out there, competing. We said after game four, we just got to win game five. And now we’re going to move on and try to find a way to win game six.

Derek, Jalen said on Monday after the game that you guys still have enough in the locker room. I believe in my guys. We’ve just got to come out and be ready to fight. And then Joe pointed to his play tonight in the third quarter where he dives in front of your bench to keep the play alive. Just what did you see from him in terms of a leadership perspective tonight? Yeah, J.B., it was unbelievable.

Both sides of the ball for the whole time he was out there. I mean, yeah, he took it on himself to get us going, and we just followed his lead. So great game for 48 minutes and really carried us. Derek, you had it going early, those four threes that you had in the first quarter. What was the ball feeling like as it went off your fingertips? I mean, it felt good. I think I got really good looks, especially to start the game.

It’s always nice to get those good looks and just shoot it with confidence. So shout out to my teammates for finding me and just gotta rise up there and knock them down. Derrick, you guys have bounced back from a lot of different things over the last several years. What was this like for you guys as a group losing Tatum, as you mentioned, but just trying to respond and also fight back and get back into this series? Yeah, like I said, we’ve got a lot of people that are highly competitive.

And we’ve got a lot of talent in that locker room. So seeing our brother go down was tough. And, I mean, he texted us today before the game. He’s cheering us on. So, I mean, that was cool to hear and go out there and compete and win a game. Kind of following up on that, it seems like this group kind of responds in these types of moments where you have your back against the wall. Things are tough.

And Joe also mentioned having multiple identities. What was the identity we saw tonight, in your view? And why do you guys respond so well in these types of moments? I mean, our back’s against the wall. It’s win or go home at this moment. So none of us want to go home. And so we understand that it’s only going to get tougher.

We haven’t done anything yet. Just got to find a way to go to New York and win a game. Derek, Jason goes down. All of the talk on the outside is very final. It’s talking about like the season was over, talking about moves that are going to be made over the summer while there was still a game to be played. Did you guys hear the tone of that talk? Did it resonate? Did you guys get upset about the way you guys were being discussed?

I didn’t hear nothing. I mean, just always talk. I mean, the good talk, the bad talk. I try to just block it all out. And I mean, we came in yesterday, watched film and kind of looked each other in the eye as ready to go. We got a lot of guys that have won a lot of games at a high level and Obviously, there’s no replacing JT and what he does for us, but we believe in the guys we’ve got.

Along those lines, no replacing JT, but that means you have to play a little bit different. Maybe you rely on him, and there’s some standing and watching as he’s making a play. Do you guys feel like you need to play a little bit differently, a different identity to win the games without him? Obviously, I mean, it’s not like someone can step in and do what JT does at the level that he does it. So, going to have to play a little differently and just find ways to create offense, to rebound. Just everything he does on the court, everybody’s got to step up.

And so, we did that tonight and got to find a way to win game six. Last question. Derek, there’s been a lot of teams over the years that, when faced with adversity, can pull it together and channel that emotion for a game. How challenging is it to get that same emotion again a second time? And what do you do to get there? I mean, like I said, our back’s against the wall. We understand that it’s just going to get more difficult. And I think they’re thinking we’ve got to play better.

They’ll make adjustments, and we’ve got to make adjustments back. So, I mean, this is the NBA playoffs, and you wouldn’t expect anything different. So go out there, compete at a high level, do what we need to do, and try to find a way to win the game. Derek, last question for you. Off the court, you and Jason are quite close friends.

So I’m wondering, after the injury goes down the last couple days, for you as his friend, what has your reaction been? And how have you mentally pulled yourself off the map after seeing him go down? I know he’s obviously OK, but there are still a bit of a shock from these kinds of things. Yeah, for sure. I mean, obviously, it’s tough to see. I texted him.

But it’s kind of all I can do really is to text him and just tell him that we believe in him and know that he’s going to have a great comeback from this setback. And so really not much I can do, especially at this moment, but I’m going to support him throughout his whole journey. And I know he’s going to do whatever he needs to do to get back out there with us.