Caris Levert is one of the Nets’ most talented players. Is this the season that he takes the next step?
Stats 2016-2017: 8.2 PPG, 3.3 RPG, 1.9 AST, 45 FG%, 32 3FG%, 57 games
Caris LeVert enters Brooklyn’s 2017-2018 season as a player that fans and the team think very highly of. He has a solid three point stroke, can defend well, and has a very high basketball IQ.
He does need to get bigger though. At 6’7 and only 203 pounds he needs to put on some weight to be able to play more physical. This will also help him be tougher on drives to the basket.
Last year, Levert start off the season on the shelf as he was still rehabbing his broken foot that he broke in college at Michigan. Sean Marks and the Nets front office were patient on bringing Levert back slowly, so he wouldn’t re-injure his foot.
When he was brought onto the bench in full gear, he didn’t play much, as he was still getting back into basketball shape. Up until the all star break, Levert was a guy that came off the bench for short stretches; sticking with the “bring along slowly” strategy.
After the all star break, however, the training wheels were taken off. Levert started all of Brooklyn’s 25 games and averaged 10 points per game in 24 minutes. It is clear as Levert got more and more comfortable as an NBA player, and as he got more minutes, he flourished.
This year, however, with the addition of Allen Crabbe and D’Angelo Russell, Levert will likely be a player off the bench for Kenny Atkinson.
This is a good thing for him, as he will be able to develop his game going against bench players rather than starting forwards. He also will not be one of the top options on offense, as he was last year. Therefore, he will find plenty of more opportunities off the catch in Atkinson’s motion offense.
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A lineup to look out for is Levert paired with Rondae Hollis-Jefferson at the forward positions. This was used a good amount last year, and worked out well. On defense, the two can switch on pick and rolls seamlessly. And on offense, the Levert/Hollis-Jefferson pick and roll is a good option to use. Levert has a good feel in the pick and roll whether to dump it off to the roll man or take it to rim.
This season is a perfect season for Levert to develop his game and take it to the next level this season. He has putting in the work this offseason in preparation. In a better suited role and in his second year in Atkinson’s system, the sky is the limit for Levert. There are high expectations, but I believe that he will live up to them.