4: Luke Kornet
Luke Kornet went undrafted in 2017 and signed a two-way contract with the Knicks. In February of 2018, he got his first chance to suit up for New York at Madison Square Garden when Porzingis was out.
In Kornet’s debut, he finished with 11 points, 10 rebounds, and 4 blocks in 22 minutes and made history while doing so.
Luke Kornet blocks a 4th shot, which means he becomes the first and only player in NBA history at least 4 blocks and three 3-pointers in his first career game.
— Tommy Beer (@TommyBeer) February 9, 2018
He also had 11 points and 10 boards. He’s the first Knick rookie w/ a double-double in debut since John Wallace in 1996
His story brought a lot of hope and optimism to fans, and while it was thought that he’d be able to one day play in a bigger role for the Knicks, he signed a two-year deal with the Chicago Bulls after the 2018-19 season.
In Kornet’s final year in New York, he averaged 7 points, 2.9 rebounds, and 1.2 assists in 46 games (18 starts). He shot 37.8% from the floor and 36.3% from the 3-point line. The 26-year-old hasn’t been able to replicate similar numbers to that season, only having played in a total of 46 regular-season games over the past two years.
He’s been on three teams in 2021-22 alone and is currently with the Boston Celtics for the second time in as many seasons. He’s played in two of Boston’s playoff games, but only for a combined four minutes and all that Kornet has to show for it is one rebound and one foul.
Kornet’s role with the Celtics is even more limited than Jordan’s role with the Sixers, but Boston has a real shot at defeating Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks to advance to the Eastern Conference Finals and then to the NBA Finals after that.