San Antonio Spurs center Luke Kornet has been a constant for the team throughout the season, stepping up in the absence of Victor Wembanyama. He found himself starting for the All-Star big man on several occasions this season, which he jokingly talked about white noise podcast.
"Vic was out for a while and then he was back on minutes restriction and coming off the bench," Kornett said. "And we were doing pretty well. And nobody really asked me how I felt about it. I don't know if you're familiar with Wally Pipp. It was fun too because there was the All-Star thing going on and it felt like I was the starter on the team. I saw a lot of votes going the other way."
Wembanyama returned to the Spurs lineup this season after playing only 46 games in the 2024–2025 season due to deep vein thrombosis. He made one appearance earlier this season in his third year in the league, but was slightly derailed by a calf strain. After being out for a few weeks, he returned in time for the in-season tournament and Christmas Day games versus the Oklahoma City Thunder, but the Spurs coaching staff moved him off the bench out of an abundance of caution. Instead, Luke Cornet began managing Vembanyama's minutes following the injury.
The Spurs were actually able to remain competitive in the Western Conference without Wembanyama, posting a 10–5 record in 15 games without him this season. Kornet certainly played a role, averaging 6.7 points and 6.2 rebounds on 65% from the floor.
