It is no secret that the Milwaukee Bucks have struggled with talent identification and player development in recent years, with Luke Kornet adding to a list of players they had on their hands and let go. The center is now thriving in San Antonio and is having a career year alongside Victor Wembanyama.
Luke Kornet is another former Buck thriving elsewhere
Kornet was very briefly with the Bucks during the 2021-22 NBA season, having signed a 10-day contract with the team. He featured in just one game before finding his way to Boston only a fortnight later and would go on to be a key cog in their title-winning team during the 2023-24 season.
After three good years with the Celtics, Kornet signed a well-deserved four-year $40.7 million deal with the Spurs and is playing the best basketball of his career. He is averaging 8.3 points, 6.8 rebounds, 1.9 assists, and 1.2 blocks in 24.5 minutes per game, on the second-place team out West.
The big man may not be a direct need for the Bucks at the moment, but he has shown clear value alongside Wembanyama. Defensively, the two are phenomenal, combining their length and rim protection with athleticism to create great synergy. Offensively, Kornet isn't heavily involved, but that isn't what he was brought in to do. He is still a threat around the rim and as a screen setter for the plethora of explosive guards on the Spurs.
Another big man the Bucks moved on from early was Sandro Mamukelashvili, who is now thriving with the Toronto Raptors. That is two players who have gone on to play huge roles on good teams, when they struggled to see the court in Milwaukee.
It is always tough to judge a player who has signed a 10-day contract, as it is incredibly rare for them to go on to play a big role in the league. Patience was an issue with the Bucks here, and it is completely understandable, coming off the 2021 title win and chasing another, that Kornet never got a shot in Wisconsin.
A lot of credit has to go to Kornet, who went undrafted in the 2017 NBA Draft and bounced between teams, struggling to earn time on the floor. That hard work has paid off an he found a team that trusted him in Boston, found success, and went on to get a huge payday and is playing brilliant basketball on a team that could win a title in the coming years.
Luke Kornet didn't spend long with the Milwaukee Bucks, so there isn't too much on the franchise right here. However, it is another case of a player slipping through the team's grip to go on and thrive elsewhere in the league.