Nets fans worried that Caris LeVert has suffered another injury can exhale. After the young wing was held out of the preseason opening win over Washington with a patella contusion, he’s not only fine, but likely to scrimmage in Tuesday’s practice.
“Caris is great. He said his knee feels as good as it’s felt in a long time,” coach Steve Nash said Monday via Zoom. “We’re going to probably scrimmage [Tuesday], and he’ll play. So, really positive news for Caris.”
Considering LeVert’s injury history and importance, it’s easy to see why the Nets would be cautious. Some view him as either a potential third star or Brooklyn’s biggest asset to land aforementioned star.
Still, Spencer Dinwiddie played well Sunday starting alongside Irving, and Nash had left open the possibility of LeVert serving as a sixth man. Now he says between rest, injuries and COVID-19, the roles may not end up being that draconian.
“I may not get the chance. I have a suspicion this is going to be a continually evolving season where injuries, COVID, the density of the schedule will present all types of opportunities, but not necessarily by design,” Nash said. “I don’t think it’s going to be like, ‘We’ll start Joe [Harris] for five games, then Spencer for five games, then Caris for five.’ I think it’s a scenario where we’re going to figure it out as we go.
“We have to be adaptable, and having that versatility and not necessarily having to make hard stances or make a situation into a truth that doesn’t need to be one or the other. That’s the way I’m thinking about it: Let’s not get in a race to cement any roles or ideas, because this is not the season where it’s going to be like that.”
“We’re going to use all of them in all these roles, and if it becomes a fully formed template, fine. But we’ll also be fine because of the versatility and depth for it to be constantly changing and for players to be adaptive. Versatility is so important in this league, and the more adaptable we can be, the more successful we’ll be.
On the topic of rotations, Nash said Bruce Brown not playing Sunday was simply him drawing the short end of the stick.
“It’s just tough,” Nash said. “We’ve got so many guys competing for minutes. I wish we could play them all, but it’s just tough because we’ve got a lot of guys.”
The Nets got a look at Reggie Perry, and the second-rounder had five points and seven rebounds in just 16 minutes of playing time.
“He gives us a different profile at the center position. He’s more skilled and mobile than the traditional 5, so he’s able to put the ball on the floor, make plays for his teammates. He has a great feel defensively,” Nash said. “Where his gap is in adjusting to the NBA game, and we wanted to see him against someone else. He earned those minutes and he did pretty well.”
