Kornet once hit seven three-pointers in a single game, but he hasn’t attempted one this season.
Luke Kornet’s lack of three-point shooting was the subject of two mailbag questions.
PDCeltics: Why doesn’t Kornet shoot the three? It used to be a huge part of his game.
klam05: Is there any chance Mazulla will persuade Luke to use his three-point arsenal? During his time with the Knicks, he served as a stretch big. What are the chances Joe knows this and is saving it until the proper time?
Let’s look into this for a second. Luke Kornet once scored seven three-pointers in a single game. We have video evidence!
This year, he has not even tried a single three-pointer. What’s going on?
Sometimes the statistics page tells the entire thing. In his first two years in the league, he shot 35.4% and 36.3% on a rather high volume (about four per game). After that, his percentages fell to the mid-20s as he hopped about from team to team, looking for a place in the NBA.
You’ll observe that his attempts also failed spectacularly. After attempting 380 three-pointers in his first three seasons, he has attempted only 141 the rest of his career (3.75 seasons). That may be a chicken/egg debate. Did he quit shooting because he wasn’t shooting well enough, or were his shooting splits distorted due to the small sample size of attempts?
Our own Bobby Manning inquired directly about Luke’s early career. He discussed various injuries he sustained earlier in his career and how they affected what he is currently working on.
It appears that he chose to focus his efforts on talents that would allow him to remain on an NBA team and return to the court. That entails doing the dirty job he specifies (screening, rebounding, etc.) and basically employing his 7’1″ frame in more traditional capacities. This relates to the difficult considerations that some players must make about their game when they are on the fringes of the league.
The Celtics have a lot of perimeter shooting. They need people who can do the grunt job and protect opposing backup centers. Of course, Kristaps Porzingis and Al Horford are out there stretching the court. However, those are proven shooters whose reputations influence scouting reports.
If Luke and the coaching staff were confident in his shot, I believe he would be encouraged to take off. However, if he only makes 25% of his shots, he will not extend the defense, and he would be better off focusing on pick and rolls and boxing out for rebounds.
Perhaps he could work on improving his game throughout the offseason. But for now, we’ll have to make do with his other talents, such as his amazing celebrations!
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