Luke Kornet is heading into a pivotal stretch with the Spurs, and the first month of the season could tell the whole story.
After a regular season in San Antonio that included an early run without Victor Wembanyama and a steady role as the backup center, Kornet earned real credit. He posted career highs in points and rebounds and gave the Spurs dependable minutes for much of the year. But the playoffs told a harsher truth, with his weaknesses showing on both ends of the floor.
That’s why this year carries so much weight for him. The Spurs now have more options at center, and with the arrivals of Tarris Reed Jr. and Jayden Quaintance, Kornet may have to fight to hold onto his place in the rotation. October is where he gets his first chance to push back.
The schedule doesn’t make things any easier. Mitch Johnson’s team will open against the Oklahoma City Thunder, Houston Rockets, Dallas Mavericks, Utah Jazz, and Minnesota Timberwolves, a run loaded with big bodies and aggressive interior threats.
Chet Holmgren, Isaiah Hartenstein, Rudy Gobert, and Jaren Jackson Jr. are all waiting on the other side. That kind of frontcourt test should give the Spurs a clear read on Kornet’s ability to battle on the glass, finish inside, and handle physical matchups.
It’s not just the size, either. These teams also bring downhill pressure from the perimeter. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Anthony Edwards, Cooper Flagg, and Amen Thompson can all turn the corner and get into the paint, which puts extra stress on any big man protecting the rim.
For Kornet, that means every minute matters. His rim protection and his ability to cut down paint points will go a long way in showing whether he can be trusted as San Antonio’s long-term backup center.
And Reed is already making the competition real. The rookie big man was excellent in the preseason, grabbing 46 rebounds and flashing as a rim protector. Those are exactly the areas where Kornet came up short in the playoffs, which makes the early part of the season even more important.
Kornet no longer has the backup job to himself. He has to prove he can meet the standard, and he has to do it right away. If he sets the right tone in October, it could matter a lot for both him and the Spurs.
In Other News...
Spurs Just Got A Bigger SGA Problem Than Last Season
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is already a headache for the Spurs, and this preseason suggests the problem may be getting bigger rather than smaller. Oklahoma City is folding more off-ball movement and catch-and-shoot looks into his game, which adds another layer to a scorer San Antonio had already worked to slow down. The Thunder are also getting Jalen Williams back as a secondary playmaker, giving their offense another way to create pressure before Gilgeous-Alexander even catches the ball.
For San Antonio, the challenge is no longer just about picking up SGA at the point of attack and hoping the defense can hold up after that. The Spurs now have to track him through actions away from the ball, while also finding ways to clog Williams' passing lanes and keep Oklahoma City from turning simple movement into easy looks. It is a tougher assignment than last season, and one the Spurs will have to solve if they want to make life uncomfortable for the Thunder again. [Read more 🡒]
Spurs Hit With Early Tobias Harris Setback Fans Feared
Tobias Harris arrived as one of the Spurs bigger offseason additions, brought in to add scoring punch and a veteran voice to a young locker room. But the first chapter of his San Antonio stint will have to wait a little longer, after the forward suffered a left calf strain in the preseason and has been ruled out for the season opener.
Head coach Mitch Johnson said Harris is still progressing, but he needs more time on the court before he is ready to go. For a team that signed him to help steady the rotation and provide leadership, the early absence is a reminder that the Spurs will have to open the year without one of the most experienced pieces they added. [Read more 🡒]
Spurs 2022 Draft Class Just Took Another Brutal Hit
The Spurs 2022 draft class has taken a rough turn as preseason roster cuts continue to reshape the league. Jeremy Sochan, Blake Wesley and Malaki Branham, all first-round picks from that class, were waived by their respective teams as clubs trimmed down ahead of the 2026-27 NBA season, a reminder of how quickly early draft momentum can fade when a young player never quite finds a long-term fit.
Sochan was waived by the Knicks after earlier stops with the Spurs and the Blazers, while Wesley and Branham were let go off Exhibit 10 deals and could wind up with G League affiliates. For San Antonio, the bigger picture is hard to miss: the franchise has already moved on to players who bring more versatile offensive tools, leaving that once-promising draft group looking more like a cautionary tale than a foundation. [Read more 🡒]