Luke Kornet made a victorious return to Boston as the San Antonio Spurs defeated his former team, the Celtics, 100-95 on Saturday night. However, despite being legit championship contenders, the Spurs didn’t look the part for most of the night. They trailed 91-88 to the Celtics with less than 3 minutes on the clock. That’s when their talisman, Victor Wembanyama, took over.
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As it has often happened, Wemby went Super Saiyan and, with a couple of great shots, dragged San Antonio to an unlikely victory. The French star, who scored 21 points while playing just 26 minutes, would have wanted some more time on the court, though.
Perhaps that would have also allowed San Antonio to exert a bit more control early on, along with the chance to have more of the Wemby-Kornet partnership at play. The French star said as much, too, after the game.
During a post-game interview, Wembanyama asserted, “I just love playing with him [Kornet].”
“It’s been great. Unfortunately, my minutes being a little low right now, we haven’t spent as much time together on the court. But we did at the end, and that was the first time in a long time, and I just love playing with him,” he added, lamenting their limited time on the court.
However, the center’s minutes on the court are kept conservative for a valid reason. Wembanyama hyperextended his left knee on New Year’s Eve against the Knicks, and the ligament damage kept him out of the next few games. He returned to action off the bench against the Memphis Grizzlies on January 6 and scored 30 points. The Spurs, however, really want to be careful with his minutes. It’s a long season, after all.
The team’s defense remains weakened without Wemby in it, though. But they are 2nd in the West and can afford to wait it out till he is fully fit. Unfortunately, that means the big Frenchman doesn’t get to spend a lot of time with Kornet, something he believes provides the Spurs with an added dimension.
Wembanyama believes Kornet’s ability as a rim protector and skills at offensive rebounding really complement his game. Together, they can make life difficult for any opponent on any given day.
“Just for me, it brings [on’ both sides of the floor, and especially our offense, into another dimension, because it brings new challenges for them. And I can tell that — the first play we had tonight, I think Luke had an offensive rebound, like, it’s hard for them to focus on both of us,” Wembanywama explained.
Both stars are over 7 and a half feet tall, and their height plays a key role in the Spurs’ defensive strategy. Kornet isn’t flashy like Wemby, but he allows San Antonio to shrink the paint without compromising on offense.
What Wembanyama can do right now is focus on getting fully fit and not catch another injury like last year’s season-ending one. There will be plenty of time to team up with Kornet once coach Mitch Johnson makes him start games once again.
