There are big-ticket additions in Brooklyn this season, but the Nets are also ready to benefit from an internal boost — a full season of Caris LeVert.
A year ago at this time, LeVert was the subject of raves from coaches and teammates, and he went on to open the 2018-19 season on a tear, with 27 points on opening night in Detroit and 28 plus a game-winner back in Brooklyn against the Knicks.
The rising guard’s season was interrupted by injury in early November, keeping him out of action until mid-February. LeVert seemed to round back into form over the final weeks of the regular season, then took off in the playoffs, averaging 21.8 points on 49.2 percent shooting, including 46.2 from 3-point range.
“It was very important,” said LeVert of his big playoff push. “Last season I experienced a lot of emotions with basketball from the highs to the lows, game-winners to being scoreless. I feel like I really grew as a player in a lot of those moments, especially coming back from injury. I feel like I can go for it now, I feel like I’m back to myself.”
Now the Nets are expecting the LeVert they saw at the beginning and end of last season — and maybe more.
“I think it’s really high, my personal opinion,” said Nets coach Kenny Atkinson of LeVert’s potential. “I just remember those first how many games was it before he got hurt. We were all saying, this guy’s ready to make an All-Star jump before he got hurt. Of course, it was early, won a couple games for us at the end of the game, but was really dominating. And then let’s harp to the playoffs and when he started to hit his stride, I think that was really when he started to hit his stride. You could argue he was our best player in the playoffs. There’s some noise in there, but I always say this about, there are guys that want to be great, and then there are guys that are desperate to be great. He’s in that desperate category. And there’s only a small percentage of guys that are like that.”
A relentless summer pushed LeVert up to the levels he reached going into last season, and this year has been no different.
“Always top of the chart in terms of offseason dedication,” said Atkinson. “Body, he looks stronger to me just from a, thinking of Caris when he was just a baby here and now he just looks a lot stronger. Big development in his body and I think he’s really starting to figure out how to take care of himself all around with the performance team and finding a better balance between the on-court and performance part. That balance is so important at this level with so many games.”
Going into the new season, LeVert will have a new backcourt partner to team with. Two-time All-NBA guard Kyrie Irving signed as a free agent.
“It’s been fun. He’s taught me a lot as well,” said LeVert. “I can’t wait to go through a whole season with him, a couple seasons. I’m learning a lot from him, and we’ll continue to build that chemistry.”
With Irving, LeVert and Spencer Dinwiddie, the Nets have a trio of guards that excel at breaking down defenses and getting to the rim in one-on-one matchups. It fits Atkinson’s preferred style of play, and Irving brings a 39 percent career mark from beyond the arc as well.
“I think the great thing about Kyrie, he’s such a great shooter, he’s a great catch-and-shoot shooter,” said Atkinson. “Kyrie always tells me,’ I’m really good off the ball too.’ He’s a real threat so it turns into a Joe Harris type. When Caris is driving, you know you have another shooter out there, so I think it works well. I always say that I’d love multiple ball-handlers, multiple downhill guys. At the end of the day, that’s what sucks the defense in. It’s just going to be finding that balance with those guys. Add Spencer to the mix. We have those type of ball-handling, downhill guards.”
Irving shot 45.4 percent on catch-and-shoot 3-pointers last season with 3.3 attempts per game, fourth in the league among players with at least three attempts per game. (New teammate Joe Harris was No. 1 at 48.1 percent on 4.2 attempts per game.)
Irving isn’t the only new addition. There are eight new Nets on the 15-man roster, and with what Atkinson has described as some “tweaks” to the approach, there’s been plenty of acclimating to do over the first three days of camp.
“It’s definitely a lot different with the personnel, and training camp is a lot more teaching,” said LeVert. “It’s only been a couple days, but it’s been more teaching. I still feel like we have the same mindset going forward. We still want to be a gritty team, we still want to play extremely tough defensively. But we’re still trying to figure out who we are as a team and how good we can be.”