New York Knicks center Luke Kornet has received a decent amount of playing time since joining the main roster. He’s learning from his experiences.
The New York Knicks have empowered the younger players on the roster to play through their inconsistencies. It’s admittedly a byproduct of being eliminated from the postseason, but head coach Jeff Hornacek has encouraged his up-and-coming contributors to learn from their mistakes.
One of the players who’s doing their best to make the most of this opportunity is undrafted rookie center Luke Kornet.
Kornet was signed to a two-way contract that enables him to spend 45 days on the main roster. He’s spent 13 games with the New York unit, with no outing proving more challenging than the recent encounter with Dwight Howard and the Charlotte Hornets.
According to Marc Berman of The New York Post, Kornet viewing the encounter with a player of Howard’s imposing nature as a learning experience.
"“It was great to play against him,’’ Kornet said. “He’s been one of the great ones in this league for a long time. I definitely will hit the weight room pretty hard in the summer. He was throwing me around a little on the offensive rebounding. Just physicality I have to play with — not only against him but everybody. Something I will learn and prepare for more.’’"
That’s certainly a fair barometer. If a player can hold their own on the low block against Howard, they can do so against just about anyone.
Kornet has elite size at 7’1″ and a modern two-way game as a shot-blocker who’s proficient from beyond the arc. The knock against him, however, is that he fails to make up for his average athleticism with the necessary measure of strength to battle down low.
Kornet wouldn’t be the first big man to operate primarily from the perimeter, but with his size, shooting ability, and shot-blocking instincts, he has value inside.
Unfortunately, while Kornet may be listed at 250 pounds, that weight isn’t quite the same for a player who’s 7’1″ as it would be a player who’s 6’10”.
Thankfully, Kornet realizes that bulking up will be required of him as he attempts to handle the physicality of the NBA game. The big man is on the rise in the modern era, with the likes of Andre Drummond, Joel Embiid, Rudy Gobert, and Karl-Anthony Towns all thriving at center.
In order to secure consistent playing time in the NBA, Kornet will need to develop the strength to handle the tough defensive assignments.
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Thankfully for the New York Knicks, Luke Kornet is already learning from his experiences on the court.