Good news: On Thursday night, as the Los Angeles Clippers take on the Phoenix Suns, NBA playoff coverage will resume.
Basketball’s best clips come from bench reactions. The Brooklyn Nets during D’Angelo Russell’s tenure did it best, dancing and partying their way to internet fame. And under Luke Kornet’s leadership, the Boston Celtics have been steadily establishing themselves as the best team in the league this season.
Kornet said to CelticsBlog, “To be honest, I just get really excited about certain guys making certain types of plays.”
Even though he may not have set out to create a stir on social media, he has done just that this season. Some of the best bench reactions in the industry have come from him.
Kornet jumps a lot and pumps his fists to show how happy he is. He is 7 feet 2 inches tall, though, so his already enormous reaction explodes in a show of uncontrollable excitement.
Kornet stated, “I’m just doing it because I’m having fun.” “I suppose it probably is—I tend to eat a lot when I’m celebrating, so I’m a little large. I don’t know; it’s just excitement, but it’s not really intentional.
Kornet can even go for a layup.
Sam Hauser is at the top of the list of “certain guys” about whom Kornet has been especially enthusiastic about his season. Not only does his fellow Bus One Boy have a silky smooth three-point shot, but he has been making more baskets than ever this year.
“I mean, for everyone in the gym, you know how people talk about certain teammates they had and like [in the] first practice, they throw down some crazy dunk and they’re like, ‘Oh wow.'” Sam has been on a dunk streak early in the season. It’s wonderful to see Sam begin removing them, as we have been waiting for him to do so.
Kornet’s excitement surged when Hauser executed an alley-oop, causing it to explode. He bounded along with Hauser and, in retrospect, was overcome with joy.
When asked about Jaylen Brown’s vicious slams, Kornet gave a snarkily indifferent response, suggesting that the Celtics star wasn’t receiving the same buzz.
Kornet remarked, “JB obviously has some incredible dunks.” So that’s just normal.
His casual demeanor toward Brown’s supporters, though, doesn’t match the euphoria that followed his mid-game windmill dunk.
Kornet is definitely headed toward becoming the league leader in viral bench reactions, even though that may not be his exact objective. If the Celtics manage to put on a show, be sure to watch Kornet’s antics from the bench. Additionally, keep an eye out for the bird’s hands from the previous year if he appears in the highlight.
Whether he’s playing on the hardwood or the bench, Kornet will be eager to celebrate.
