PROS OF THE VICTORY
No, I’m not sick.
Like everyone else, watching Caris pour in an efficient 34 reaffirms everyone’s belief that he has all of the tools to be a leading option on an offense. Now, the ceiling of that offense may come into question, but LeVert is among the upper echelon of combo (inside + outside) scorers. His game is eerily reminiscent of Jayson Tatum, minus some of the length and Tatum’s efficiency from deep.
On top of all that, you love to see this sort of mentality.
Caris LeVert said Jamal Crawford was telling the team throughout the game that, 'This proved we can take a punch.'
— Alex Schiffer (@Alex__Schiffer) August 2, 2020
From strictly a 19-20 season point-of-view, the Nets playoff chances are well-and-surely sewn up: 538 has them sitting with >99% odds.
The rest of the new “big 3” (LeVert, Broadway Joe, and Allen — the only regular rotation Nets who made their way to the bubble) came out roses as well. On top of his six deep balls, Harris went for a season-high 27 and the team went +14 in his 37 minutes. Like in the previous slide, I cannot emphasize enough how important it is for Jarrett Allen’s confidence for him to can 10 of 10 free throws. Maybe DeAndre Jordan joining the team (a worse shooter from the charity stripe) just improved Allen with his presence alone?
In addition to this season, having LeVert and Allen play so well in more featured roles will undoubtedly help improve their trade values. With the inevitable hunt for a third star, this increase will prove invaluable. Bradley Beal, anyone?