Even after the Nets got the best possible diagnosis on Caris LeVert’s nasty-looking foot injury — that it was just a dislocation and not season-ending — many in the organization admitted they had no idea if the rising young guard could recapture his stellar pre-injury form this year.
With the Nets in the desperate stretch run trying to fight and claw their way into the playoffs, LeVert couldn’t have picked a better time to finally find his rhythm, putting together a third straight strong game in Saturday’s 110-96 win over Boston.
“There was a stretch we were struggling to score, Spencer [Dinwiddie] was out of rhythm, he carried us,” coach Kenny Atkinson said. “And he carried us defensively, especially in the zone. He had three or four steals in that zone. He was all over the place with his length and athleticism. He gave us that boost of energy we needed.”
It was four steals, to go with 15 points in 29:20. It backed up an 18-point, four-rebound, three-steal game Thursday in Philadelphia and a 16-point, seven-assist night in Portland.
“I’ve just been trying to stay consistent with my habits off the court, get my work in, taking care of my body,” LeVert said. “Then my teammates are giving me incredible confidence out there on the court telling me to keep playing my game, keep stating aggressive.”
LeVert had been averaging a team-high 18.4 points and 47.5 shooting before he dislocated his foot. He missed almost three months before coming back, and averaged just 9.0 points on 34.8 shooting through his first 14 gamesbottoming out with a scoreless effort vs. the lottery-bound Lakers.
But he’s shaking that rust at the perfect time.
“Caris is a great talent. He’s one of our key cogs. You can put him right in there with Spencer and D’Angelo [Russell],” DeMarre Carroll said. “We’re so deep we’re giving him time to get back. Soon as we make it to the playoffs, that’s going to be his biggest time to shine.”
Kyrie Irving (lower back) and Al Horford (left knee) were both out for Boston.
Irving is a pending free agent this summer, and a source said the Nets are likely to get at least a look from the West Orange, N.J., native. Despite Boston being 11-3 without him, coach Brad Stevens stressed his importance to the Celtics.
“All that stuff is a small sample size, so I don’t get too big into that. You can always go through a look at who we’re playing, when we’re playing, who else is available,” said Stevens. “If we want to be our very best, Kyrie Irving obviously is a big part of that.”
Atkinson praised Will Weaver and Trajan Langdon, who were named the G-League’s Coach and Basketball Executive of the Year, respectively.
Allen Crabbe (knee) missed his seventh straight.
