Brooklyn Nets: Player grades from near miss in New Orleans
By Phil Watson
31 MIN, 21 PTS, 8-for-23 (1-for-6), 6 REB (4 ORB), 4 AST, 3 PF, 2 TO, -5. SG. Brooklyn Nets. CARIS LEVERT. C+
Caris LeVert is learning first-hand how quickly the NBA can adjust. After a scorching opening three games, LeVert has come back to earth a bit over his last two games, hitting just 13-of-35 from the field (37.1 percent).
LeVert had a tough matchup Friday night in All-Defensive selection Jrue Holiday, but defenses are also helping and hedging much more frequently to prevent LeVert from getting clear runs into the lane.
That said, he had a couple of terrific finishes in the lane in the fourth quarter as it appeared the Nets were going to be able to close out the game against the Pelicans.
He was also very active on the offensive glass, with four boards on that window, and handed out four assists.
A-. 29 MIN, 11 PTS, 4-for-7 (3-for-5), 3 REB, 5 AST, 2 PF, 1 STL, 2 TO, 2 BLK, +11. PG/SG. Brooklyn Nets. SPENCER DINWIDDIE
Spencer Dinwiddie had some things working Friday night. The most heavily used reserve for Brooklyn Nets, Dinwiddie ended the third quarter with a big 3-pointer as time expired and was solid with his shot all night, hitting 3-of-5 from deep as well as finding a lane for a big dunk.
Defensively, he spent a lot of time on Elfrid Payton and handled him fairly well. Dinwiddie was also used at both guard spots Friday night, notably playing off the ball when paired with Shabazz Napier.
Dinwiddie has clearly emerged as the Nets’ sixth man and is performing very well, averaging 13.0 points and 4.4 assists in 27.8 minutes a game and his shooting is vastly up from last season at .463/.375/6-for-9.