Caris LeVert didn’t need his run in the Disney bubble to impress Nets fans and his teammates — Brooklyn already knew what it had. But now, the entire league knows the Nets’ third-best player is no joke. With Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving healthy things should open up even more for LeVert, though not exactly in the way some may have expected.
There’s a chance LeVert comes off the bench for Brooklyn, Steve Nash revealed to reporters on Sunday before the Nets’ preseason game against the Washington Wizards, per Brian Lewis of the New York Post.
“Caris is a starter. Will he start for us? I’m not sure,” Nash said. “He’s so good with the ball in his hands. There’s a case to be made that he plays that [Manu] Ginobili role, where he’s clearly a starter. Manu played in All-Star games, started on the bench, ran the second unit and closed games. We’ll see. We’ll see how it goes. It’s a great luxury to have.
“There’s a thought that he could have more reps with the ball in the hands if he captains the second unit for huge portions of the games and then plays with the starters in moments where you’re close. All that stuff is to be figured out. But great decisions for a coach to have.”
This concept would well for two reasons — first one being LeVert should have the ball in his hands often, as Nash alluded to. As everyone saw in the bubble, LeVert doesn’t just score when he runs an offense, he also creates opportunities for others.
Then there’s Spencer Dinwiddie’s part in this.
“For sure, I feel like I’ve always viewed myself as a starter, even when y’all were laughing at me three years ago,” Dinwiddie said on Sunday. “But whatever role it takes, you always want to do whatever it takes to maximize the win and try to make the collective the best possible. A well-rounded game, whatever it was across the stat sheet, is kind of my position on this team now.”
Dinwiddie showed on Sunday he’s going to do exactly what he said he would when Durant and Irving return: adjust what he does to help Brooklyn win. In 25 minutes of work against the Wizards, Dinwiddie had 10 points, seven assists and six rebounds.
He can play a complementary role. Start Dinwiddie with Irving and Durant so he can do just that, then let LeVert come in later to provide a second burst.
“Spencer’s a talented player, but he can also play the game quite simply, which is great,” Nash said. “He doesn’t over-complicate things, he can play off the ball, he can play on the ball, he can make plays for his teammates, he can guard multiple positions.
“Spencer was great out there. I thought he gave us a lift in certain moments where we needed to up the pace and force. And he has lot of versatility, he does a lot of different things for us, so he did great.”
The Nets get back to work on Friday against the Boston Celtics.
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