While the Celtics didn't leave their interior rotation entirely untouched this season, the fact they didn't feel the need to make a major move for more protection behind Kristaps Porziņģis and Al Horford could be viewed as a vote of confidence in Luke Kornet.
The 7'2", 250-pounder has more than held his own as a rotation regular and is quietly producing perhaps the finest season of his career.
His numbers won't blow you away—5.1 points, 4.0 rebounds and 1.0 blocks in 15.4 minutes—but his activity and efficiency are clear positives. His 69.9 field-goal percentage, for instance, is tops on the team by a wide margin. His 19.0 player efficiency rating, per Basketball-Reference, easily surpasses the metric's average of 15.0. His minus-2.9 net differential, per NBA.com, doesn't sound great, but it's essentially just a reflection of how good the bigs in front of him are, since his net rating is a robust plus-9.4 points per 100 possessions.
He is someone the Celtics should want to keep. The question is whether they can afford him. They'll be in the second apron next season, so they'll have to carefully manage their finances, particularly when it comes to fleshing out the roster around their stars. Kornet is helpful to have, but is he a necessity? That probably hinges on how the market views him.
