Misfortunes continue to pile up for the San Antonio Spurs. After a rollercoaster in New York, they are facing a staggering 3-1 deficit in the NBA Finals from the gut-punch 107-106 loss to the New York Knicks in Game 4. Every game is must-win for them here on out, while the Knicks just need one more win to end a 53-year drought. But as the stakes continue to be high and the stress higher, a roster shakeup has severely complicated the Spurs’ strategy.

The team dropped its injury report ahead of Game 5 at home, and things are not looking good. Backup center Luke Kornet is listed as questionable on the latest pre-game injury report, throwing San Antonio’s frontcourt rotation into jeopardy ahead of Saturday’s elimination matchup. The nine-year veteran is down with a sudden illness, presenting a bleak scenario for franchise cornerstone Victor Wembanyama.

Conversely, the Knicks’ frontcourt depth remains fully secure, as New York’s primary defensive anchor, Mitchell Robinson, is already deemed entirely available for the looming battle despite getting surgery on his hand last week. The Knicks’ injury report remains scarily clear, in fact.

Kornet’s unavailability will likely impact Wembanyama the most. He might be forced to take on an even more demanding, exhausting on-court workload with the season on the line.

The 30-year-old Kornet has operated as the primary backup to the center throughout the majority of the 2025-26 campaign. While his average minutes have dropped from 21.0 to 13 minutes per contest over the postseason run, those minutes are an indispensable luxury for Mitch Johnson.

Without Kornet, the Spurs would lack an experienced big man on the floor when Wemby needs a breather before returning late in the game as a closer. Through 22 playoff games, Kornet has averaged 3.8 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 0.7 assists per game while connecting on an impressive 57.9% of his field-goal attempts. The stats might not seem impactful in a game context, but he is key to maintaining the Spurs’ momentum.

Exhaustion concerns for Victor Wembanyama loom after Game 4 collapse

Luke Kornet’s potential absence completely strips the coaching staff of a reliable, interior defensive alternative. Victor Wembanyama is already logging 33 minutes on average in the playoffs despite a concussion scare early on. The warning signs of physical overexertion were visible even before Thursday’s historic collapse.

The Spurs held a massive 27-point lead at halftime before the Knicks pulled a comeback for the history books, making it the largest blown lead in NBA Finals history. Wemby played a grueling 44 minutes on the floor and scored just eight points in the second half, with two catastrophic missed free throws with 1:47 left on the clock.

Kornet had only played four minutes, a factor some analysts felt contributed to Wemby’s late-game drop-off.

The only silver lining is that Kornet is still questionable. While they’ve not specified what kind of illness it is, the hope is he recovers for a game-time decision.

In case Kornet can’t play, the Spurs will probably look toward Mason Plumlee to step up directly into the primary backup center position, while Kelly Olynyk or Bismack Biyombo could see rare, high-pressure minutes to fill in the frontcourt gap. It might not be the worst thing. Spurs fans have been demanding more minutes for the backup centers to reduce the pressure on Wemby outside of crunch time.

Game 5 is scheduled to tip off at 8:30 p.m. EST, June 13, on ABC live from the Frost Bank Center. We’ll be keeping a close eye on the Spurs’ injury list till then.