Rookie Caris LeVert Has Been Intriguing For The Brooklyn Nets
The Brooklyn Nets are last in the Eastern Conference, but one bright spot has been Caris LeVert, who has provided the Nets with a nice swingman with upside.
With a record of 9-36, there isn’t much hope for the Brooklyn Nets. They’ve dealt with their own group of injuries, most notably to their starting point guard, Jeremy Lin. Even though they sit last in the NBA in wins, their 2017 first round pick belongs to Boston. Despite Brook Lopez‘s development as a shooter, it’s another lean season in Brooklyn.
The Nets knew that and tried to add several players who can provide raw production. Sean Kilpatrick, Justin Hamilton and Trevor Booker came in free agency. They even got Anthony Bennett for a few games. However, the two guys the Nets tried to get value from were 2016 draft picks Caris LeVert and Isaiah Whitehead. Whitehead has intrigued as a combo guard, but it’s LeVert who has caught the most eyes.
Coming out of Michigan, LeVert was seen as a potential lottery pick. Then, multiple leg injuries forced him to play just 34 games between his junior and senior season, making him a talented player with an injury risk. The Nets decided he was worth the risk, using the first round pick acquired for Thaddeus Young from Indiana to take a chance on the talented swingman.
After missing the first 20 games of the season, LeVert has entered the Brooklyn rotation and played well, averaging 13.4 points, 4.9 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1.7 steals per 36 minutes.
The thing that intrigues the most is LeVert’s offensive game. At 6-foot-7, LeVert just glides on the floor at various points. It’s good to see him capable of stopping and getting jumpers from the midrange, while also being able to finish at the rim. So far this season, LeVert is shooting 77 percent at the rim on 27 total attempts.
What intrigues me more is his ability to create. In his last three seasons at Michigan, LeVert finished with more assists than turnovers – a sign of a players ability to create and one’s basketball I.Q. In the first 400 minutes of his career, LeVert has 43 assists to just 19 turnovers. He can find teammates, but more importantly, he can work in the pick-and-roll and come off of screens and create.
For all his offensive success comes the defensive shortcomings. LeVert, like most rookies, is still working as a defender. His thin frame allows him to get swallowed up by screens. Add rust and the fact most rookies are bad on defense and LeVert has been bad, but promising. The Nets are still five points better on defense with LeVert on the floor.
He also has very long arms. His wingspan – 6-foot-10, per DraftExpress – allows him to play the passing lanes well. He can make plays and turn steals into transition dunks. In his limited time, LeVert has 20 steals. The combination of length and mobility are already good for LeVert, but when he adds to his frame, LeVert will further expand himself into a 3-and-D wing with some playmaking.
The Nets are poor and giving up their 2017 and 2018 first round picks to Boston only adds to their struggles as a rebuilding team.
But they do have two players of intrigue. Whitehead seems like a combo guard who can play on the ball and maybe he can improve as a shooter. The other guy, Caris LeVert, is more interesting as a long-limbed wing player who can space the floor showed the ability to create in the pick-and-roll and possesses defensive upside.
Maybe, he could emerge as a decent long-term piece for a team that needs one.
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