Brooklyn Nets: 2016-17 End Of Season Roundtable
5. Name one player that has surprised you the most (either good or bad) this season?
PW: Spencer Dinwiddle showed he was much more than I thought he was coming into the season. He’s a big point guard who showed some shooting touch from the arc this season (37.6 percent is adequate) and really made the most of his first real opportunity to play regular NBA minutes.
He’s not a piece you build around, but he’s a complementary depth piece that could have value moving forward–much more than I ever expected he could have.
JS: Caris LeVert. LeVert just looked so, so good the last month or so of the season. His cadence handling the ball is just great. He makes plays in the pick and roll, makes plays off the dribble and functions excellently as a playmaker finding teammates.
Brooklyn Nets
When you run a motion offense, you need more than just point guards who dribble, pass and shoot: everyone needs those skills. And you need two-way wings who do that and defend. LeVert does all of that and came along so much quicker than I expected during March and April.
He is by far the best young Net: you can just see it. LeVert is a keeper.
BF: I was surprised that Caris LeVert was as healthy as he was. I’m hoping his good health is continued because he can really be a solid NBA player for years to come.
He’s had an All-Rookie team-worthy season and with better per 36 numbers than Brandon Ingram across the board: points, rebounds, assists, steals and all shooting percentages.
He looks to be a steal so far, which doesn’t surprise me having watched him at Michigan, but his good health has. Foot surgeries (plural) are no joke.
JO: Hollis-Jefferson is one of the most perplexing players in the NBA. His game hasn’t evolved since his freshman year at Arizona, he doesn’t fit into the offense and he spends half his time on the floor running around without any kind of guidance system.
Somehow that’s all translated into positive on/off numbers, but it seems unsustainable.
JG: Brook Lopez! Centers have been on the endangered species list in recent years and Lopez seemed destined to become obsolete in a league obsessed with small ball and three-point shooting.
Unlike many of his “big-man” counterparts, there’s still a place for Lopez in the modern NBA game. It will be interesting to see what other facets of his game can be developed. You get the sense there’s still talent that hasn’t been tapped into yet.
DB: Spencer Dinwiddie … hands down! It took some time for me to appreciate him, so I guess you can call me a dimwit. Pun intended. His ball handling, shot selections, ability to draw a three-point foul on a screen were all positives going into the offseason for his development.