The NBA announced its Seeding Games awards on Saturday, and guard Caris LeVert was named to the Kia NBA All-Seeding Games Second Team, while coach Jacque Vaughn finished third in the voting for the NBA Coach of the Seeding Games.
LeVert has taken the lead for the Brooklyn offense since the league resumed play on the NBA Campus in Orlando. Playing in six games, LeVert ranked 12th in points per game (25.0), 10th in assists per game (6.7), 12th in steals per game (1.5) and eighth in usage percentage (32.6). He also shot 48.0 percent and averaged 5.0 rebounds in 33.1 minutes per game. He’s one of only three players averaging at least 25.0 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 5.0 assists since the NBA restart.
“It’s an honor to be included in that, especially with some of the guys who are listed,” said LeVert. “All those guys are great players in their respective right. So, it was cool to definitely get some recognition, but as a team, we’re definitely looking forward to the playoffs right now. That’s where our focus is.”
LeVert put up a pair of 30-point games, with 34 against Washington and 37 against Portland. He compiled a career-high 13 assists in a win over the LA Clippers, and since shifting into the point guard role, he’s averaged 9.6 assists over his last three games.
“A great compliment to what Caris was and is able to do with our team,” said Vaughn. “His ability to step up and meet the challenge and respond. We’re all human and want confirmation, and so it’s great for him to get confirmation from the people who are watching it and watching him perform.”
Working with a revised roster that has added five new players with the absences of Spencer Dinwiddie, DeAndre Jordan, Taurean Prince, and Wilson Chandler, Vaughn has guided the Nets to a 5-3 record since the NBA restart, securing the seventh seed in the NBA playoffs that will open for Brooklyn against Toronto on Monday. The Nets have had one of the most effective offenses in Orlando, ranking in the top 10 in offensive rating, points per game, and effective field goal percentage.
“That credit goes to the players, man,” said Vaughn. “Our performance staff and the people who are part of the essential travel party, the work they put in to get our guys prepared to play and to respond from game to game, managing the minutes, managing overall how our guys are feeling with health and rhythm. It’s been great to be part of this synergy and connection with our group, and the players deserve the credit in all honesty. They’re the guys that are out there making the play. I’m a small vessel in this thing, trying to put them in the right positions.”