Garrett Temple was brought in to do all the little things off the bench, play staunch defense and provide Brooklyn with another option along the perimeter on the offensive end.
He was also someone who caught Kyrie Irving’s attention because he is an established veteran presence in the NBA. Even though the Nets lost some of their veteran leadership in the offseason, they gained Irving, Kevin Durant and DeAndre Jordan — as well as Temple, who has become one of the more prominent voices on the team.
After he had another strong shooting night on Wednesday, Temple’s teammates were quick to praise him. They mentioned his scoring and the things he brings on the floor, but Joe Harris, for instance, was quick to talk to reporters about Temple’s character:
Yeah, GT, I mean, [Iman Shumpert] actually says it, from the moment he got here, he’s a pro’s pro. That’s sort of his reputation around the league. He’s the ultimate professional. Comes in, he just takes care of his business. He’s a great leader in the locker room. And then, obviously, he has nights like tonight, too, where he’s able to come up big, score the ball for us. But he always does the little stuff, regardless of how he’s shooting it, playing offensively. You know the intangible things are gonna be there, and the stuff on the defensive end is always gonna be [there].
Taurean Prince was asked about the difference he’s seen in the Hawks — who he played well against — from when he was in Atlanta last year. He talked about Vince Carter’s impact and illustrated how Temple is doing something similar for Brooklyn:
I think the ability to stay together off the court is what the veterans bring. And guys like Garrett Temple, Iman and DeAndre do a great job of keeping everybody together, along with, obviously, Kyrie and KD.
But no one had higher praise for Temple than Jarrett Allen:
[Temple] fits in so well, on and off the court, honestly. On the court, you saw what he did tonight. He came out, he dominated [from] the 3-point line. He scored from every facet from the game. And off the court, he’s the leader. He’s telling us what to do off the court. he’s just telling us how to live our lives, too.
Allen also added:
You gotta give it to the front office and Kenny [Atkinson], they bring in guys that they think are gonna mesh well, and Garrett Temple’s the perfect example of that. He came in, he didn’t try to push hard, he didn’t try to be overbearing, he kinda snuck his way into being our vet.