Former Boston Celtics center Luke Kornet has always been an outstanding interview. Now with the San Antonio Spurs, Kornet will face his ex-teammates on Tuesday night in a matchup between two of the NBA's best teams.
Ahead of the clash, Kornet was asked to comment on Jayson Tatum's recent return from a May 2025 Achilles rupture.
Kornet said he wasn't surprised to see Tatum return after 288 days (a feat that shocked many people in the sports world) because he's seen JT play through injuries before.
Acknowledging that this injury was far more serious than anything Tatum has pushed through in the past, Kornet ultimately reminded the media that JT's care factor is off the charts, and this is what enabled Tatum to make such an expedited return.
Luke Kornet on Jayson Tatum’s availability:
“In my time with him, I’ve seen him play through every little kind of nagging injury, very rarely ever made exception. Usually, it’s the staff having to talk him down from playing. To see him back out there, and contributing right… https://t.co/yW84V7i6uj
— Noa Dalzell 🏀 (@NoaDalzell) March 10, 2026
Kornet has been everything the Spurs expected him to be as a backup center. He's averaging a career-best 21.4 minutes per game in 2025-26 to go along with 6.8 points and 6.3 rebounds per contest.
Tatum will be playing in his third game back from injury on Tuesday in San Antonio.
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