After suffering a horrifying injury in early November, Caris LeVert will be making his long-awaited return for the Brooklyn Nets.
Sound the alarm. The Brooklyn Nets just won the trade deadline.
In the wee hours of the deadline, Brian Lewis broke the news that Nets’ fans have all been waiting for.
LeVert will be available for the #Nets tomorrow.
— Brian Lewis (@NYPost_Lewis) February 7, 2019
Caris LeVert is back.
The course of the last 24 hours has been truly spectacular. The Philadelphia 76ers have created a “Big Four.” The Milwaukee Bucks have added another excellent stretch four to their already deep lineup.
The Shams Charania vs. Adrian Wojnarowski rivalry has hit an all-time high. The Lakers have been left on read by Dell Demps and the New Orleans Pelicans. Hell, players are even getting traded mid-game. (Poor one out for Harry Barnes, will ya?).
However, in the midst of the hysteria, one of the NBA’s best teams (since Dec.) just got a little bit better. Caris LeVert, albeit on a minutes restriction, is back in Brooklyn’s rotation.
After suffering a gruesome injury against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Nov. 12, LeVert advanced through his rehabilitation process in remarkable fashion.
Now, it appears that he will make his return to the court on Friday, as the Nets play host to the Chicago Bulls at 7:30 p.m. EST.
It will be an inspiring and moving sight to behold as LeVert steps onto the court in front of a cheering Barclays Center crowd.
With the rise of D’Angelo Russell, many forget just how good LeVert was. For the first month of the season, the 2016-draftee was Brooklyn’s best player. As one of the league’s better isolation players and scorers off the drive (per NBA.com tracking stats), LeVert made a name for himself early on. Many felt he was a stealth Most Improved Player candidate and a potential All-Star.
Prior to his injury, Brooklyn was a sub-.500 team scrapping to get wins. Now, he rejoins this Brooklyn team that’s in a much different standing.
The current iteration of the Brooklyn Nets has been a dominant six-seed in the tough Eastern Conference. They most recently rattled off an impressive win against the uber-competitive Denver Nuggets.
On the outside looking in, LeVert will fit smoothly into Brooklyn’s rotation. As he returns to full strength, LeVert will eventually slot into the starting shooting guard position next to All-Star point guard, D’Angelo Russell. The backcourt should have some excellent outside-in chemistry; D-Lo does a majority of his damage from the perimeter, whereas LeVert is an assassin in the paint.
LeVert will provide Brooklyn’s offense with a whole new wrinkle; especially during the fourth quarter. LeVert was, by far and wide, the team’s best crunchtime scorer (at least according to offensive rating). For a team that still seems slightly afraid of the moment down the stretch, this could pay immense dividends.
With LeVert back in the fold, the Brooklyn Nets just got a hell of a lot more dangerous in the playoffs. The idea of LeVert and D-Lo playing together should surely get fans drooling.
Just wait until they get Spencer Dinwiddie back, too.
