Caris LeVert: The Best Player For NBA League 2020

Let’s take a second to talk about the form and prowess of Caris LeVert. He’s been playing in the league for four years and is the player that gives the Brooklyn Nets some hope for this season right before it resumes. His ability lies strongly in scoring and with the league moving to the ESPN Complex in Walt Disney World, he is one of the few to benefit the most.

Pre - Shutdown Season was High Flying for LeVert

Back in November last year, LeVert had to get operated on his right thumb, which came as a quick stop to his momentum. But his return in January was nothing short of what was expected from him - he has played only 39 games until now and yet his stats look better than they did last year. He was formerly a part of Michigan’s team and is averaging 17.7 points and has 4.1 rebounds and an equal number of assists. His shooting is at 41.4% from the field and at a career-best high from beyond the arc.

Another one of the team’s strongest players, Spencer Dinwiddie, is out for the rest of the season. He was playing the role of the team’s main ball handler and passer, but now he can’t play in Orlando because of testing positive for the coronavirus. Without him, the team will now look to LeVert to be the main ball handler and to get the game moving forward. From his past record, he is the right man for it and will be more than happy to take it on. He’s definitely a man to bet on this season. He scored 37 points in the 4th quarter and overtime while he managed to hit a career-high 51 point performance earlier.

His Success-Rate

Let’s take a look at his career stats. His scoring has only increased every season he has played in the NBA. Although his shooting percentage has seen a drop, it is only because his attempted shots have increased leaps and bounds. This year, his number of shots averages at 15.6 as compared to his rookie season 6.7 in 2016 - 2017. 

He has the trust of his team to lead to the offense this time around, and he is likely to pull through and make plays possible for his teammates as well. His average assists are also up there, at 3.5 per game career-long, and at a higher 4.1 this season alone. He had his career’s first triple-double this season days before the NBA was shut down - 27 points, 11 rebounds, and 10 assists in a home game win 139-120 against the Spurs. 

Their team will also see Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving out due to their positive coronavirus tests back in March. Four more players, including Dinwiddie, will also be off the roster - DeAndre Jordan, Wilson Chandler, and Nicolas Claxton. While Jordan tested positive for the virus, Chandler chose not to play in Orlando and Claxton is out with a left shoulder injury. All of this makes the team rely on LeVert more than ever. 

How Will “The Nets” Fare in Orlando?

The Nets are, in most oddsmakers books, currently in the seventh-place to win the Eastern Conference. But they are only half a game over the Magic and 8.5 games behind the 76ers. If they do make it to the playoffs, they will face the Celtics or Raptors in the first round, or maybe even the Bucks. 

This is imperative because the NBA had a history of going in all different and unexpected directions. The Wizards are games behind the Nets in the playoff race and when they return to Orlando, they will not have Bradley Beal, their best player, playing for them. The issue facing the Nets is not making it to the playoffs but making it past the first round of the playoffs. They have added some new players, which is important because six of their players will not be on their team. 

Jamal Crawford is one of them - and he will be a great addition to the scoring side of things. He was the first player in the league to score 50 points for four different teams each. He has an average of 14.6 points in nearly thirty minutes over 1,326 games. But he also hasn’t played since the 2018-19 regular-season finale with the Suns, where he scored 51 points. With this sort of back-up, LeVert is sure to prove his worth as the third option on offense behind Durant and Irving.