When Will Hardy first saw Kornet's trick, he was confused.
"I thought it was absolutely f---ing hilarious, I was an assistant with the Celtics last year, and now I'm the head coach of the Utah Jazz," he said.
You're not close to the ball. Why do you jump? The shooter can't see the basket for a second after watching it on film.
Seeing the 7-foot-2 Kornet leap straight up like he's challenging a dunk when the opposing shooter is on the other side of the court messes with the perception of 3-point defense
It seems like it is having a legitimate effect.
In the G League last year, the Celtics' staff found about 30 instances of the Kornet Contest. The opponents shot 25%.
Kornet performed the move on 36 shots, with 34 of them being 3-pointers, with opponents making 12 of them. Kornet was the closest defense on 22 of the 36 shots. The NBA average on wide-open 3s is 38 percent.
Kornet had an average distance from the shooter. It's under 12 feet.
How did he make a decision about what to do? Kornet solved his own math problem.
How does a center get from the rim to the 3-point line?
It's easy, he doesn't.
After four years with the Commodores, Kornet went to the NBA and played for the New York Knicks, Chicago Bulls, Boston Celtics, and the Milwaukee Bucks.
He concluded that opponents couldn't hit what they couldn't see.
At that time in life, it was okay. "You might as well just find every little way you can to make a difference in the game." It makes a difference if it makes a difference.
Kornet only used the maneuver when the center took a pick-and-pop 3 and forced him out of the game.
During his time with the Maine Celtics, the Kornet Contest became a regular part of his defense.
Kornet said that he was trying to stay in the paint last year in Maine, in order to protect the rim.
People have said that they couldn't see any of the rim.
Kornet could block the rim from a shooter's line of sight if he timed it correctly.
Even though no one is near you, it distorts your vision for a second.
"He believed in it and kept doing it." The man sold me.
When someone shot one from the corner in front of our bench, I was like, "Oh, s---, you really cannot see the basket when he jumps like that." It was his thing.
Kornet doesn't think the move is a good way to stop opposing shooting. Kornet received a text from Hardy when Hachimura faked him into jumping in the Celtics victory over the Wizards.
During the Miami Heat's game against Boston earlier this month, the coach said that an inexperienced player could be a distraction. Our guys have seen lots of different things.
I want them to let it go if they are open.
Kornet studies when and where to jump, but if he misses his mark by a few feet or a few milliseconds, the shooter has a wide-open look.
The Celtics interim coach thinks the play is smart. It doesn't take him out of defensive position if he knows when to do it. It can distract them if they're used to seeing the rim.
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