Sunday night’s first look at the Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving pairing was about everything the Brooklyn Nets could have hoped for.
The All-NBA duo knocked down shots right out of the box, powering the Nets to a 26-point first-half lead, combining for 33 of Brooklyn’s 68 first-half points, and shooting 12-for-21 between the two of them.
It also reinforced that things are going to be different for the rest of the roster, particularly players who have been in those leading roles on the offensive end at different times over the last few seasons.
“It’s one of these things where it’s going to be the ebbs and the flows,” said Joe Harris. “Obviously, right now, those guys are our focal point offensively. That’s how we’re going to play our best basketball. That’s how we’re going to be most productive. And I think across the board, a lot of other guys are going to have to adapt. Some games, we’re probably going to get a lot of looks when guys are collapsing on them. Other games, maybe not so much. That’s sort of how it’s probably going to be.
“But at the end of the day, for us to win and have the most success, our offense is going to go through those two guys, and then kind of go down from there. But that’s one of those things where my main assignment as an offensive player is just trying to get space for those guys, getting down to deep corners, cutting off the ball, making sure that I’m occupying guys on the weak side and allowing them more space to facilitate.”
Harris has been among the NBA’s top 10 3-point shooters while shooting over 40 percent each of the last three years, and on Sunday got off two 3s while playing 19 minutes. As he said, adapting is key, and that extends to two players who were significantly in lead guard roles last season.
Spencer Dinwiddie had a top-20 usage rate last season with a 28.7 mark. Caris LeVert was close behind at 28.4, and that jumped up to 30.7 while he was averaging 24.3 points over his final 22 games, a usage rate that would have been among the top 15 in the league for the full season.
While LeVert was held out of Sunday’s game with a patellar contusion, what he saw was what he expected after getting plenty of pick-up game court time with Irving and Durant in the offseason.
“That’s what they do,” said LeVert. “That’s kind of how we’ve been playing for the past couple of months. I feel like with my game I’m kind of versatile. I can play with the ball, play without the ball. Start, come off the bench, whatever it may be. I feel like I can adjust, and I can play pretty much any role that I’m put in. For me, I’m just excited to get out there and contribute to wins in any way possible. If that’s starting, if that’s coming off the bench, Steve (Nash) and I will talk more about it. I think everyone’s main goal right now is winning basketball games and putting us in the best position to do so.”
LeVert is soaking up the trickle-down effect of sharing the court with Irving and Durant, along with the new coaching arrivals of Nash, Mike D’Antoni, and Amar’e Stoudemire.
“Just being around these guys each and every day is a bonus,” said LeVert. “I’m going on my fifth year, just being around two MVPs, Kevin and Steve, Ky won a championship, you could argue that he should have been a Finals MVP. Obviously, Amar’e played in a lot of big games. D’Antoni coached a lot of big games. So there’s just a lot of basketball IQ around the building. For someone like myself and all the other younger guys who are trying to get better, it’s amazing to come into work and be around these guys each and every day.”
Where does LeVert fit in this group? Friday’s preseason game against Boston could offer the next hint. Nash has floated the idea of bringing LeVert off the bench, comparing his potential impact to that of former San Antonio star swingman Manu Ginobili, a former Sixth Man of the Year and All-Star who came off the bench and closed games for championship Spurs teams.
Maximizing LeVert’s minutes on the court without Irving and Durant, whichever way the Nets get there, gives LeVert the opportunity to play the role he did for 33 minutes a game in Orlando during the summer, when he put up three 30-point games, three double-doubles, and averaged 23.1 points and 7.8 assists.
“I think there's positives coming off the bench, as well,” said LeVert. “You get a chance to examine the game from a different perspective, see how the defense is playing certain actions, see how they're guarding different ball screens, transition, things like that, see which guys have it going so when you get in the game, you can kind of make that adjustment. You can kind of give energy where it's needed. I try to look at each situation and try to find a positive out of each one. Like I said, I'm looking forward to the challenge if that's what it's going to be, and if not then we'll adjust accordingly.”
The opportunity to potentially bring LeVert off the bench speaks to the team’s depth, starting with having another starting option of Dinwiddie’s quality.
“We’re really fortunate just to have the depth that we have,” said Harris. “You look at our second unit and a lot of those guys are arguably starters on a number of teams across this league. And that’s somebody whether it’s Caris, whoever it is, coming off of the bench. It’s not necessarily…I don’t think you should look at it as a negative. In this league, you look across the best teams, they all have depth. They all have excellent benches. You need that. Once the postseason comes around, big games come around, depth plays an important factor in being an elite team. And so, that’s where we’re trying to get. We want that second unit to not take a dip. When that first unit is rolling, the second unit has got to come in and just keep the momentum and the pace going as well.”