Luke Kornet dodged the opening night blame, but Houston is where he has to answer for it

Everyone chose a scapegoat after the Spurs' opening-night disappointment, but almost nobody picked Luke Kornet. Victor Wembanyama missing 12 of his 13 shots ate the headlines. The three-guard lineup and Mitch Johnson took most of what was left.

Underneath it all, San Antonio's backup center finished minus-10 in under 13 minutes of a 116-104 loss to Oklahoma City, with two made buckets and a single rebound to show for it. That needs to be addressed.

Mitch Johnson has been consistent about spreading the blame around, and he's right to. "I think everybody struggled pretty equally," he said after the game, and he told reporters again on Thursday that the group didn't play well together. Nobody is pinning a 12-point loss on 12 minutes of bench center.

But the question of who holds up next to Wemby is one we've been asking since his rookie season, and it has yet to disappear in year 4.

Luke Kornet gave the Spurs his bad playoff minutes on opening night

The former Celtic averaged 12.9 minutes a night in last season's playoff run, partially because he was unplayable in several games. On Tuesday night, he played 12:37 for the same reason.

I highly doubt Coach Johnson landed on that number randomly. It's just where Kornet ended up. This man averaged 21 minutes, 6.5 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 1.9 assists a night on 64.3% from the field last season. They weren't gaudy numbers, but they were stable for what the Spurs needed from their Texas-born reinforcement.

Then the postseason hit, and his minutes were nearly cut in half, right along with his effectiveness. He was already under a microscope before the opener, as fans hoped to see Luke turn it around, but that didn't happen.

Yes, it was only one game, but one rebound is pretty unbelievable for a 7'1" center. It's even more damning when you realize that eight of his 12 minutes came in the first half. He got 58 seconds in the third quarter, which is the period the Silver and Black won 36-28 to claw back into the fight.

So, when Mitch needed to dig out of the hole, Kornet wasn't a part of it.

The Rockets' game is where Kornet earns it back

Tonight at the Moody Center is like a make-up test, offering Korn on the Lob redemption. Houston opened with a 128-110 win over Dallas and did it the way Houston usually does when healthy: by playing a physical game and pounding the glass. They pulled down 17 offensive boards to Dallas' nine.

Alperen Sengun went for 23 and 10, with five of those rebounds coming on offense. Amen Thompson grabbed six by himself. Steven Adams is their best offensive rebounder, and he didn't even play, but they're hoping he makes his debut against the Spurs.

Whether he plays or not, Kornet will need to throw his body around in that paint to crash that glass. He pulled down 2.7 offensive rebounds per game last season. Some extra possessions this year while shutting down the opponent's second-chance opportunities will be nice to have, too.

If he can't provide that, Tarris Reed Jr. is right there, and Spurs fans will want to see him in action. I'm not calling for a benching after one game. Luke banked real trust last season, and he's earned a longer leash than that. But the Spurs aren't building this thing to beat the Hornets.

OKC, Houston, Denver, etc. are the teams standing between the Silver and Black and finishing the Race for Seis. Those are exactly the teams where a backup center who grabs one rebound in 12 minutes becomes a problem that can't be ignored.

Kornet gets his do-over tonight against another team that will challenge him to perform the job he was brought here to do, and perform it well. But having a hand in beating the Rockets is a great way to get back into the good graces of Spurs Nation, and everyone is rooting for him.

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