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New York Knicks: Injuries allow Luke Kornet to make most of opportunity

By Rob Wolkenbrod

CHARLOTTE, NC - DECEMBER 14: Luke Kornet #2 and Tim Hardaway Jr. #3 of the New York Knicks hug during the game against the Charlotte Hornets on December 14, 2018 at Spectrum Center in Charlotte, North Carolina. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Brock Williams-Smith/NBAE via Getty Images)
CHARLOTTE, NC - DECEMBER 14: Luke Kornet #2 and Tim Hardaway Jr. #3 of the New York Knicks hug during the game against the Charlotte Hornets on December 14, 2018 at Spectrum Center in Charlotte, North Carolina. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Brock Williams-Smith/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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With injuries throughout the lineup, the New York Knicks had another player step up, but not the one anyone expected.

Friday’s comeback win for the New York Knicks was headlined by Emmanuel Mudiay‘s career night and Kevin Knox‘s latest outburst. However, Luke Kornet may have been the unsung hero of the game, pitching in one of the best nights of his two-year run in the NBA.

Kornet’s 13 points marked his first 13 of the season, despite sporadic appearances since the season opener, except it mostly happened in garbage time. He added six rebounds, two steals, three blocks and a trio of three-pointers.

This was not an opportunity that happened out of the blue, either. It took Ron Baker‘s release and injuries to Trey Burke, Allonzo Trier, Damyean Dotson, Mitchell Robinson and Frank Ntilikina to earn this 24-minute run.

Like previous Knicks to sit at the end of the bench, though, Kornet followed through on his chance and continued this trend that head coach David Fizdale built.

Burke, Dotson and Ntilikina all experienced rotation setbacks by not playing for multiple games at a time. Each move, especially the Frenchman’s, was speculated on for the time these players sat out, but all of them resulted in breakout games or productive stretches.

Kornet will not receive the spotlight of those three, since he was an afterthought for the first quarter-plus of the season. His wait was longer than any of Burke, Dotson or Ntilikina, including playing in just one game throughout November.

Then came the seven-minute stretch against the Cleveland Cavaliers. Kornet did not score, but it was part of Fizdale’s plan, to see what he has in the Vanderbilt product, per Marc Berman of The New York Post.

With an unknown status for all five of the aforementioned injured players, Kornet should receive a second chance in Sunday’s game against the Indiana Pacers. How many games this lasts may depend on everyone’s health, but it’s an opportunity, nonetheless, to impress in a multi-game stint, rather than a sporadic appearance that provides him little momentum.

Plus, in the modern-day NBA, with Kornet’s shooting ability at 7-foot-1, he’s not exactly valueless to a rotation. Look for him to open the Knicks offense and provide a look that Robinson and Enes Kanter do not.

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Kornet made the most of his first major minutes of the season. On a one-year deal, and with an unknown long-term future, each game matters towards his standing in the NBA. Can he sustain this success?

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