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Caris LeVert : A Foundation For The Brooklyn Nets

By Gary Gorski

ANN ARBOR, MI - DECEMBER 15: Caris LeVert #23 of the Michigan Wolverines during the second half of a game against the Northern Kentucky Norse at Crisler Arena on December 15, 2015 in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Michigan won 77-62. (Photo by Duane Burleson/Getty Images)
ANN ARBOR, MI - DECEMBER 15: Caris LeVert #23 of the Michigan Wolverines during the second half of a game against the Northern Kentucky Norse at Crisler Arena on December 15, 2015 in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Michigan won 77-62. (Photo by Duane Burleson/Getty Images) /
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Despite entering the draft without a first round pick, the Brooklyn Nets may have managed to come away with a lottery talent in Caris LeVert.

The Brooklyn Nets surprised many people when they selected Caris LeVert with the 20th pick in the 2016 NBA Draft. LeVert was projected to be a second round pick, not due to his talent and potential, but because he’s currently recovering from a third foot injury. So what makes this pick a good gamble for the Nets?

The Nets went into this offseason being the NBA franchise in the worst position for the future. They essentially had two established assets on the roster in Thaddeus Young and Brook Lopez and their draft pick arsenal could not have been in a worse situation.

The third overall pick in the draft went to Boston, as will their 2018 first round pick and more than likely their 2017 first round pick will be swapped with Boston resulting in a late pick.

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    • With their cupboard being as bare as possible the Nets managed to flip Young for the 20th pick – a pick under most circumstances that would not generate anything more than a role player at best. The past five No. 20 picks have been Delon Wright, Bruno Caboclo, Tony Snell, Evan Fournier and Donatas Motiejunas. Only Fournier has amounted to a consistent NBA starter from that group.

    So it makes perfect sense that the Nets decided to swing for the fences and take a risk on LeVert.  LeVert is a lottery talent with a game that will translate to the NBA very well. Standing at 6-foot-7 LeVert can bring size to the point guard position – he averaged nearly 5.0 assists per game in his senior season at Michigan.

    LeVert also brings a silky smooth stroke from the perimeter, allowing him to easily log minutes as the 2-guard as well. LeVert shot better than 40 percent for his career from deep for the Wolverines, including hitting 45 percent  of his triples in his senior season. If advanced numbers are what you dig, LeVert’s will wow you. As a senior he had a nearly 64 percent true shooting percentage and a box plus/minus of +11.9.

    Compare those numbers to fellow senior Buddy Hield, a lottery pick who was projected to go as high as third in the draft. Hield shot 46 percent from three, with 67 percent true shooting percentage and a box plus/minus of +11.5 last season for Oklahoma. The numbers are strikingly similar. Hield’s points per game well outdid LeVert’s, but LeVert is more of a playmaker with nearly two and a half times the assists and a good three inches of height, making him a much more versatile prospect.

    Of course what Hield didn’t have was three foot surgeries derailing his college career, but that is what gave the Nets a golden opportunity.  For most players LeVert’s injury history may be an enormous wall of red flags and flashing red sirens, but LeVert is no stranger to setbacks. In fact, prior to the draft this young man showed immense character in a letter he penned to NBA general managers through The Player’s Tribune.

    LeVert has faced a lifetime of obstacles bigger than some people could handle at an age of maturity. He has been taking them on since he was 15 and has conquered each one.

    Drafting LeVert was a risk worth taking for Brooklyn. As it stands now, the Nets lost their lottery pick this year, have no way to get one in the next two seasons without a trade and the only asset that might bring such a pick would be Lopez.

    The Nets have not been very good as of late and simply cannot ask their fans to suffer through three more terrible years before being able to add a substantial talent in the draft. They had to take a chance here on a player who, if healthy, would have never been available at that point.

    Brooklyn did well this offseason to sign Jeremy Lin and if Brook Lopez remains healthy he’s still one of the better centers in the league. Last year’s draft brought Rondae Hollis-Jefferson and while he missed most of last season because of injury, he certainly showed promise in the time he played. Hollis-Jefferson could become one of the best wing defenders in the league in time.

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    If LeVert heals properly from his injury, he could be a key piece to the Nets not needing to worry about lottery picks and instead worrying about potential playoff matchups in the future. He may not have control over how his foot heals, but that’s the only worry for Brooklyn. LeVert has proven to be a winner and a fighter through everything he’s done; this time will be no different.

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