3 Former Knicks who will take basketball's biggest stage in 2024 NBA Finals

The New York Knicks came up short in the 2024 NBA Playoffs, as they made it to the semifinals for the second-straight year but couldn't get over the hump. Injuries were too much to bear, although that's an excuse Jalen Brunson doesn't like to hear. It's still admirable that New York took Indiana to seven games with a shorthanded squad.

There are probably some Knicks fans out there who refuse to watch the finals because their favorite team isn't playing. It doesn't help that the Celtics will represent the East. For the fans who tune in, there are a couple of familiar faces on both teams making their finals debut.

3 former Knicks who will play in the 2024 NBA Finals

3. Luke Kornet

When you think of a former Knicks big on the Celtics, Luke Kornet is the first player to come to mind. All jokes aside, the 28-year-old is gearing up for his second appearance on basketball's biggest stage.

Kornet went undrafted in 2017 and signed a two-way contract with the Knicks. In February 2018, he made his NBA debut against the Raptors and took full advantage of the situation.

Kornet played in a combined 66 games across two seasons in New York before he signed with Chicago in 2019. The Bulls traded him to the Celtics in 2021, but he didn't stay in Boston after that season. He played in two games with the Cavaliers in 2021-22 and one with the Bucks before the returned to Boston that same season, where he's been since.

He stepped into the backup center role in 2023-24, averaging 5.3 points and 4.1 rebounds per game during the regular season. In the playoffs, Kornet's averaged 3.7 points and 3.9 rebounds per game across 10 contests.

He likely won't get much playing time in the finals, and even though he's a Celtic, it will be nice to see an undrafted former Knick on the floor.