BROOKLYN – It’s been just over two months, but Caris LeVert is noticeably bigger than the last time he put on a Nets uniform back in April.
“[My offseason] has been good,” LeVert told BrooklynNets.com. “A lot of strength training and conditioning. Just working on my game as a whole.”
LeVert’s physical improvement shows just how far he’s come from when he was drafted as a skinny swingman from Michigan.
“I’ve been working on my lower body strength, it’s an area where we feel I can improve and will improve my game as a whole. If I can get my legs stronger then that will kind of jumpstart a lot of other areas of my game.”
With the NBA Draft coming up this Thursday, LeVert reflected on his draft night experience with BrooklynNets.com.
Editorial Note: Responses have been edited for clarity and brevity purposes
What do you remember from your draft night experience?
I remember I was really nervous; I wasn’t exactly sure where I was going to go. I remember I was sitting in the stands, like right behind Isaiah [Whitehead]. It’s kind of cool that we got drafted to the same place. Obviously at that time, I didn’t know where I was going to go, but I was just excited and anxious to see where I was going to go.
You were drafted by the Indiana Pacers before ultimately ending up with the Nets. When did you know you were heading to Brooklyn?
My agent kind of came up to me around the 17th or 18th pick and told me that Brooklyn was going to take me at 20, so I pretty much knew at that point that they had traded to get that pick.
Was it exciting to be drafted at Barclays Center considering that that’s where you would end up playing?
Yeah absolutely, I remember before the draft, my agent was telling me once I get picked we’re going to have to fly out that night or the next morning – to the destination where I got drafted by. It’s kind of cool to know I got drafted at Barclays [Center] and that’s where I started my career and hopefully I’ll play here as long as I can.
You had previously mentioned that you hoped that you would end up in Brooklyn because of your predraft experience. Why was that?
Well I came here and I saw the practice facility – it stood out and it was beautiful. It was probably the nicest one that I had been to during the draft process. I liked the fact that there were new coaches and [the team] was kind of starting over. I felt like if I got drafted here, I would have a chance to play right away. I feel like every young player wants that opportunity. I felt like they had a good staff, they came from the Spurs and the Hawks, they had a good system that kind of fit my game as well.
What was your family reaction when you got drafted?
I felt like everyone was so excited. I had a lot of family here, friends here as well. Everyone was so excited, no one kind of knew where I was going to go so it was kind of surprising to everyone. It’s not like you’re in the green room, the first 14 picks or so, and you kind of know where you’re going. My range was wide open from 20 to undrafted so it was really surprising to get drafted at 20 for sure.