On Saturday, the Spurs had an afternoon matinee against the Milwaukee Bucks. The game was significant for both teams. For the Silver & Black in locked in the second seed. Unfortunately for the Bucks, it sealed their fate by fully eliminating any postseason options.
As the Spurs plan their postseason strategies, they are sure to have some tricks up their sleeve. One of those could involve activating Luke Kornet from beyond the arc.
Check out this shot at the end of third quarter.
Once upon a time, Kornet was known for his three-point prowess. Part of the big man’s journey, which he documented in his blog, divulged his insecurity with his NBA career and reinventing himself as a role player while giving up the three-point shot.
Often times, Kornet receives the ball on the outside the three-point line and holds, waiting for Castle or Fox or Harper to take the hand off. Rarely does Kornet dribble excessively or push his way to the basket the way, say, Keldon does.
As the Spurs postseason became a reality, I hypothesized on adjustments that could be utilized in the postseason catching their opponents off guard. Think Pop changing the starting line up in the 2014 NBA Finals by adding Boris Diaw and having Tiago Splitter come off the bench. It gave the Spurs a boost and disrupted the Heat’s rhythm.
With that in mind, the idea of having Kornet take threes forces defenders to cover him further out. And if he can hit a couple of threes at key moments, then there is a shift in momentum or the possibility for a cutting player to receive a lob in the paint for a close range shot.
Alas, Kornet had only three attempts from beyond the arc in his last season in Boston, one in the Celtics championship season.
But after his attempt in Milwaukee, Sean Elliott stated that he had seen Kornet shooting threes in the pregame warm up. That was new to his routine and something to be observed in the days and (hopefully) weeks to come.
As I was researching Kornet’s three-point shooting history, I noticed he hadn’t been credited with the attempt on Saturday. I confirmed with Tom Orsborn of the San Antonio Express-News that the shot came after the third quarter buzzer engaged and therefore did not count.
Keep your eyes peeled for opportunities for Kornet to roll back the clock on his three-point game.
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