Nets: 3 players who must produce more with Kevin Durant out

2. Caris LeVert

As enticing as a James Harden trade sounded, one of the reasons Sean Marks and the Nets were hesitant to pull the trigger on a deal was the evolution of LeVert, who averaged 18.7 points per game last season, serving as the No. 3 scoring option behind Kyrie Irving and Spencer Dinwiddie. With Durant quarantining and Dinwiddie out for the year with his ACL injury, LeVert now has to step up from his role as the fourth scoring option on this team to the secondary one. This couldn’t have come at a worse time, as he is averaging just 13.1 points per game this year while shooting 37 percent.

While Irving wasn’t on the floor constantly in Brooklyn last year, he and LeVert seemed to have symmetry together. In fact, LeVert even managed to take over games when Irving was sidelined, epitomized by his 51-point virtuoso performance against the Boston Celtics just before the shutdown. Irving will obviously be the focal point of the offense, but it will be up to LeVert to up his game and score in the 20s consistently as long as Durant is unable to rejoin the team.

With Brooklyn’s much-hyped depth now shriveling up before our eyes due to injuries and the unfortunate reality of a pandemic-influenced season, LeVert needs to step into this featured role and help the Nets get back on track. If he fails, their refusal to trade for Harden might start to resurface and be questioned.