Spurs' Luke Kornet replacement may already be on the roster

After just a few preseason games, the San Antonio Spurs may have already found their Luke Kornet replacement. Rookie Tarris Reed Jr. has impressed, providing elite rebounding, physicality, and screen setting in limited minutes.

His performance thus far has shown that he is ready to play right out of the gate and could give Kornet a run for his money. Speaking of Kornet—the obvious caveat of it only being preseason aside—he hasn't looked as sharp as he did last regular season.

The same could be said about his postseason performance. He wasn't nearly as effective in the playoffs, and teams actively attacked him defensively. His normally stout rim protection didn't hold up particularly well and resulted in San Antonio relying more on Victor Wembanyama.

If he continues to struggle this season, then the Spurs seemingly already have a replacement ready to take his place.

Luke Kornet's replacement may already be on the Spurs

Kornet's role is to give San Antonio a reliable backup center who can fill in as a starter as needed during the regular season. In the playoffs, if everything's going well, he shouldn't play more than 15 minutes a game.

In that sense, Kornet filled his role masterfully, though the Spurs bringing in Reed Jr. and Jayden Quaintance was clearly calculated. Kornet may not finish out the remaining three years of his contract in San Antonio for a couple of reasons.

The main reason being the second apron and his roughly $10 million annual salary. As the Spurs get closer to the second apron, they may have to shed his salary to stay under. That is where Reed Jr. and Quaintance come into play.

Spurs' Kornet replacement appears to be Tarris Reed Jr.

The Silver and Black seemingly view Quaintance as a bit of a wildcard, while Reed Jr. is a safer bet. That seems to be the case thus far, with the latter already turning heads in preseason and the former still not having a clear timetable to make his debut.

In the meantime, if Reed Jr. continues his strong play, particularly on the glass, he may receive regular playing time à la Carter Bryant last season. That would be surprising given that he was expected to be San Antonio's third center behind Wembanyama and Kornet.

Yet, his play thus far should force the Spurs to reconsider. He may not completely replace Kornet this season, but he is clearly more NBA-ready than many fans expected. If he plays like he has during the preseason, then Reed Jr. could quickly make Kornet expendable.

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