Luke Kornet should already be feeling pressure from Tarris Reed Jr. after slow start

The San Antonio Spurs' season is still young, but backup center Luke Kornet may already be feeling the pressure of his potential replacement, Tarris Reed Jr. Kornet hasn't looked great since last regular season, and he's gotten off to a slow start this year.

Hopefully, he'll round into form quickly and give San Antonio a reliable backup to Victor Wembanyama. However, his recent play, including against the Houston Rockets, left a lot to be desired.

He floundered when Wembanyama got into foul trouble, struggling to slow down Alperen Sengun. On one hand, a backup center struggling against an All-Star is to be expected, but he previously held his own against even the best centers last season.

If Kornet continues to play beneath his peak level, that may create a situation that could open the door for Reed Jr.

Luke Kornet should already be feeling pressure after Tarris Reed Jr.

Reed Jr. has only played 13 minutes over the team's first three games, though he could play a larger role as the season progresses. He already has an elite NBA skill, rebounding, plus the physicality and experience of a four-year college player. That experience and skill set make him seemingly ready-made for the NBA.

At the very least, his presence gives San Antonio more options than they had last season. Despite having five centers on their roster last season, only two were actually playable.

This season, they have three playable centers, including Reed Jr., and hopefully four, if and when Jayden Quaintance debuts. That means that if Kornet isn't cutting it, coach Mitch Johnson has another option.

Reed Jr. gives the Spurs a viable center option behind Kornet

Reed Jr. is one option, as is experimenting with having Tobias Harris play minutes at backup center. Given the two options, I'd prefer the former, though Harris would give the Spurs a small-ball stretch five element.

The point is that San Antonio has other options in case Kornet isn't as good this season. Thus far, he has yet to have the same impact. The things that made him successful in his first season with the Spurs aren't working for him at the moment.

Kornet thrived doing all of the little things well, such as screen setting, protecting the rim, offensive rebounding, and finishing alley-oops. That hasn't been the case this season. Per 36 minutes, his scoring, rebounding, and blocks are down across the board, while his true shooting percentage is hovering at 42.6%--terrible.

It's early, but if things don't change, Coach Johnson has another option in Reed Jr. and shouldn't hesitate to use him, given his NBA readiness.

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