Spurs need Luke Kornet to resolve most glaring recurring issue

The San Antonio Spurs landed a desperately-needed source of interior depth when Luka Knecht signed on the dotted line. The 30-year-old big man joined the Spurs on a four-year, $40.7 million contract that revealed the prominent nature in which he may contribute.

For a San Antonio team that struggled mightily to rebound and protect the interior without Victor Wembanyama on the court, Kornet could be the ultimate addition.

Kornet has spent the past eight seasons appearing on highlights for his unique shot contests, but has rarely played significant minutes. The Boston Celtics took a chance on him in 2021-22, however, and progressively moved him into a larger role.

That reached a boiling point in 2024-25, when Kornet averaged 6.0 points, 5.3 rebounds, 2.6 offensive boards, 1.6 assists, 1.0 block, and 0.5 steals in 18.6 minutes per game.

Those numbers may not jump off the page, but they'll begin to turn heads when translated to a per-36 basis. In that form, Kornet averaged 11.7 points, 10.3 rebounds, 5.0 offensive boards, 3.1 assists, 1.9 block, and 1.0 steal.

If Kornet can provide similar value on a per-36-minute basis in 2025-26, then the Spurs may finally give Wembanyama the support he needs.

Luke Kornet gives Spurs chance to defend, rebound without Wemby

Wembanyama has already established himself as one of the most dominant forces in the NBA. In 2024-25, he averaged 24.3 points, 11.0 rebounds, 1.8 offensive boards, 3.7 assists, 3.8 blocks, 1.1 steals, and 3.1 three-point field goals made per game on .476/.352/.836 shooting.

Considering Wembanyama is still just 21 years of age, it's safe to assume he'll reach an even higher level of peak and standard performance as his development progresses.

Despite his presence, however, the Spurs ranked No. 22 in points allowed in the paint—including No. 25 after his season ended prematurely. It was a shining example of how a lack of ideal rim protectors has directly influenced San Antonio's overall performance.

Kornet should help in that area as a respectable shot-blocker and a fundamentally sound defender who forced opponents to shoot 11.8 percent worse within six feet of the rim in 2024-25.

Furthermore, the Spurs were No. 22 in offensive rebounding percentage this past season. Kornet, meanwhile, ranked No. 6 in the NBA in that same statistic among qualified players at 13.4 percent—4.6 percent higher than the Spurs' leader, Jeremy Sochan, at 8.8.

With Kornet creating second chances and protecting the paint, there's a realistic scenario in which the Spurs can avoid a momentum-crushing decline when Wembanyama comes off the court.

Furthermore, Kornet was among the Celtics' most valuable minute-by-minute players in 2024-25. Boston outscored opponents by a team-high 14.9 points per 100 possessions when he was on the court—8.6 higher than the team-worst off-court rating Boston posted without him.

A valuable two-way player who can check the boxes Wembanyama needs a supporting big to address, Kornet could be an invaluable addition.