THE NUMBERS
THE SEASON
On a team where just about every other piece of significant playing time went to players 26 or under – all the way down to a 19-year-old rookie – the veteran presence of 31-year-old DeMarre Carroll stood out. And after injuries sabotaged his tenure in Toronto, it was a rejuvenated Carroll who led balanced Brooklyn with 29.9 minutes per game while starting all 73 games he played.
In doing so, Carroll posted career highs for points and rebounds per game, while elevating his 3-point percentage back to the levels it was at a few years ago, although this time shooting a higher volume, resulting in a career-high 145 3-pointers made.
“This performance team, they get all the credit because they really kept me here and made me do the work and made me do the work after games when I didn’t want to,” said Carroll. “Player development on the court. My player development coach Jordan Ott, he was really big for me. Helping me minimize the game and do what I do well, and not try to do all the other things. Player development here is great. You can see now, I feel like this is my best season, not only physically but mentally. I think it’s just hats off to the player development team and the performance team.”
Consistency was Carroll’s calling card. His performances leaned toward solid rather than standout, but that’s what the Nets could count on every night. Remarkably, he did elevate his game as the season went on. Carroll was inactive for back-to-back games on Jan. 8 and Jan. 10 – the only consecutive games he would miss until a hip injury sidelined him for the final four games of the year – but returned stronger than ever.
In two of his first four games back, Carroll posted double-doubles. Next game, he went for 26 points on 9-for-12 shooting in a home win over Miami. From Jan. 11 to the end of the season, Carroll averaged 14.5 points and shot 39.9 percent from 3-point range in 37 games.
On a five-game road trip that took the Nets to the West Coast over 10 days from Feb. 27 to March 8, Carroll averaged 18.4 points, 7.0 rebounds and shot 43.2 percent from 3-point range and 51.6 percent overall. He blew past his career high for double-doubles, posting his 13th and final of the season with 14 points and 12 rebounds in a win at Orlando on March 28.
PLUS/MINUS
Carroll was crucial to Brooklyn’s success throughout the season. He was the Nets’ leading scorer in wins, averaging 15.4 points while playing in 25 of Brooklyn’s 28 wins and shooting 42.3 percent from 3-point range and 48.1 percent overall in those games. Steady and reliable with a well-rounded game, Carroll kept the Nets together on the court and off as a veteran leader in the locker room. His 41.4 field goal percentage was higher than during his two tough years in Toronto, but still far below his 47.9 mark during two seasons in Atlanta. With the Nets as a team 29th in the league in field goal percentage, Carroll is one of several key players who could bring immediate benefits by elevating that number.