The Boston Celtics are the most fascinating story in the NBA this season. They are defying expectations and proving they can contend in the wide-open Eastern Conference.
While their time in second place in the East standings was short-lived, the fact that they even reached it was something few, if any, saw coming. Even after their 114-110 loss to the Denver Nuggets, Boston is just half a game behind the second-seeded New York Knicks.
There's also a legitimate possibility Jayson Tatum returns this season to boost his team's chances of an extended run in the playoffs.
None of this was in the forecast. That wasn't just due to Tatum's Achilles tear. After spending the previous two campaigns over the second apron, the Celtics had to prioritize flexibility.
That meant saying goodbye to Jrue Holiday, Kristaps Porzingis, Luke Kornet, and Al Horford. Perhaps at least one of them would've returned if not for Tatum's injury. That wasn't the reality of the situation, though.
As for who Boston misses the most, it's a topic Bill Simmons recently weighed in on.
Which former Celtic do fans miss the most?
Tackling that question on his eponymously named podcast, The Ringer founder shared an answer that some may find surprising.
Simmons cast his vote for Luke Kornet. The ninth-year center joined the San Antonio Spurs on a four-year, $41 million contract. John Hollinger, the former vice president of basketball operations for the Memphis Grizzlies, deemed it one of the smartest moves of the offseason.
"The Spurs' landing of Kornet with the bulk of their non-taxpayer midlevel exception [four years, $41 million] was a strong piece of business," Hollinger wrote in The Athletic.
"San Antonio wisely targeted a player it knew wouldn't be retained by his original team [the Boston Celtics were in cost-cutting mode]. Kornet also fit the Spurs' need for a banger to play behind — and occasionally alongside — Victor Wembanyama absolutely perfectly."
Fresh off a career year in his final season with the Celtics, Kornet is living up to that billing. The seven-foot-one center is producing 8.4 points, 6.7 rebounds, 2.1 assists, and 1.4 blocks per contest. He's logging a tick under 25 minutes per matchup and has started in 21 of his 29 appearances.
Kornet can and is operating effectively alongside Wembanyama. His ability to step into the first unit while the Spurs' star center was injured speaks to his ability to function as the lone big on the floor.
The Texas native isn't as well-known a player as Holiday, Porzingis, or Horford. However, when gauging the productivity and durability of the group, Simmons is spot on with who Celtics fans would pick from this group to rejoin Boston's lineup.