Caris LeVert isn’t back yet, but the Nets guard is getting closer to his return to game action.
LeVert (right thumb surgery) was back at practice before Christmas and taking part in workouts that involved contact. He certainly seems to be ahead of Kyrie Irving (right shoulder impingement) in the rehab process.
But LeVert is coming back to a different situation than the one he left. Brooklyn has leaned heavily on Spencer Dinwiddie since Irving went out, and Kenny Atkinson hasn’t had a ball-handler he can consistently rely on off the bench. The role was previously Dinwiddie’s, but with him flourishing and Irving still out, LeVert may need to serve as a ball-handler more than he normally does.
Kenny Atkinson told reporters before Thursday’s game, LeVert coming off the bench is something the Nets have discussed, per Brian Lewis of the New York Post:
Yeah, he’s done it before. Completely comfortable with that. And yes that’s something we’ll think about. That’s something we’re going to need, and he’s really good at it, so that’s going to help us when he comes back.