Brooklyn Nets: 5 takeaways from 2017-18 NBA season

5. Caris LeVert is real

For anyone who reads my articles regularly, I’ve made it clear that positions don’t matter in today’s NBA. The Nets have realized this too, and developed Caris LeVert to a point where he has no positional label.

Need a guy to switch defensively to cover for another’s deficiencies? Check. Need an emergency point guard so D’Angelo Russell can play off ball? Checkaroo. Need a bucket with time running out? Yep, he can do that too.

LeVert is the kind of do-it-all superglue guy every team would love to have. No matter the role, he can do it. In a system that uses multiple ball-handlers, he can be D’Angelo Russell’s secondary playmaker while guarding the toughest opponent on the other end.

I could write for hours about how versatile he is, and such malleability is vital for team-building. Now all the Nets’ brass has to do is surround him with 3-and-D wings.

The fact that LeVert became this useful after being selected so late in the first round (22nd overall in 2016) is exceptional, and a testament to the acumen of the front office. He will be a valuable asset for years to come, and probably a steal.