Luke Kornet, the green eclipse

The sequence turned a lot and triggered a lot of mockery. Facing the Cavaliers, Luke Kornet jumped to challenge Isaac Okoro’s 3-point shots. The only problem was that the pivot was in the key, several yards from the Cleveland winger. Enough to produce a funny impression…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wTgpL-f_lT0

“It may sound stupid, but it seems to be quite effective”explains Luke Kornet at The Athletic. “Rob (Williams) is pretty unique because he can block a lot of those shots. I was able to block a few in my time. But if you’re trying to help and the pass comes out, running and jumping won’t help. And usually it’s going to be on a guy who’s not a great shooter. You can lower this percentage. »

Obstruct the shooter’s vision rather than blocking

Luke Kornet calls this technique “the eclipse”, and it is therefore for him to hide the basket from average shooters, like Isaac Okoro, who only turns 31% success by far in his career.

The pivot is also in the footsteps of his teammate Jaylen Brown, who has also become accustomed to challenging shots quite far from the shooters. It’s that Brad Stevens didn’t want to see him jump all over the place, so the All-Star only does it when the opposing shooter has gone up in the air. For him too, the idea is not in these conditions to counter the shot, but to obstruct the vision of the shooter when the ball leaves his wrist.

“It went from, ‘Very good, I know it has a little effect’ to ‘Oh, it could be quite effective’continues Luke Kornet. “I evolved in this field and I realized its effectiveness. Jaylen did, but I’m on another level in how I do it. Because I’m 2m18 with my long arms, so it works especially well for me. As a pivot, I’m not super fast so I can’t get close to the shooter and challenge while staying between him and the basket. I’m just very tall, so how can I be effective in this area? I just found this solution because it has to be found. And it works. »

If it’s less silly than it sounds, the problem is that Luke Kornet can’t block on the rebound when he “eclipses”, but Joe Mazzulla and Marcus Smart ensure that the tactic is good.

Also a surprise effect?

For the defender of the year in title, there is also the effect of surprise which plays.

“We love it. We love it. It’s Luke, he’s different. You don’t see a lot of people doing that.”explains the leader. “I think he catches a lot of people off guard because they’re open and they see a 2m13 player jumping all over the place. They say to themselves: ‘What is going on?’. So it works, and as long as it works, it’s not a problem for us. »

For Luke Kornet, it is in any case the best way for him to be useful in this kind of situation.

“Being on the way is kind of my only weapon in defense”concludes Luke Kornet. “I appreciate the intellectual side, working together to find a way to make things more difficult for the opponent. It’s always a fun exercise. Challenging and missing the guys opposite is great. »