Spurs' draft shines spotlight on harsh yet necessary Luke Kornet reality

The Spurs had quite an eventful first round of the NBA Draft, adding two new interior players in Jayden Quaintance and Tarris Reed. Both bring a lot to San Antonio's frontcourt attack, but their addition ushers in a harsh potential reality for Luke Kornet: he could be in for a drastic decline in his role next season.

Kornet was an interesting pickup for the Spurs. Through the regular season, he looked like one of the most underrated signings of last summer, providing San Antonio with solid minutes off the bench. Unfortunately, he couldn't translate that over into the playoffs, as he struggled to assert himself as a strong interior presence in non-Wemby minutes.

The pickup of Quantaince and Reed is a direct response to this problem, giving Mitch Johnson more options when Victor needs rest. This is quite the change for San Antonio. Less than a year ago, Kornet looked like the perfect backup center for Wemby. Now, it's clear that the Spurs needed alternatives. It goes to show how much the postseason puts things in perspective.

Kornet only gave the Spurs a fraction of what they need next to Wemby

When talking about Luke Kornet, you have to give credit where credit is due. His regular-season play was impressive, averaging 6.5 points, 6.1 rebounds, and one block coming off the bench. He even held it down as a starter during an early-season stretch without Victor Wembanyama. During that span, the Spurs stayed near the top of the Western Conference standings.

But he hit a wall in the postseason as his scoring and rebounding took a major dip. He wasn't athletic enough to keep up with opposing bigs on that stage and also struggled to provide resistance against guards who attacked him in the paint.

Jayden Quaintance and Tarris Reed are major upgrades as reinforcements for Victor Wembanyama. Both provide paint defense, rebounding, and strong interior scoring. For a team that deployed several rookies last season in big playoff minutes, expect these two to have their numbers called a ton.

There is a world where Kornet's number still gets called on next season

Now, I wouldn't completely count out Luke Kornet next season. While Quaintance does sound promising with his athleticism and defensive impact behind Wemby, injuries will be a point of concern for him. He barely played last season for Kentucky, dealing with knee problems.

Reed didn't struggle with injuries like Jayden, but as a first-year player, his maturity will be tested. This leaves the door open for Kornet to remain a factor for the Spurs with his experience and availability. Obviously, he's not perfect, but he can still be a serviceable option if the rookies go through rough patches.

The good news is that San Antonio has a bevy of options to go to when Wemby gets subbed out of games. No longer is Kornet their alternative if Victor gets in foul trouble or needs rest. They have a deep Rolodex of talented bigs to call on when it's time to hold things down in his absence.

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow