When Caris LeVert suffered an ankle injury 15 months ago playing at Michigan, his confidence never wavered even as his draft stock tumbled.
He knew the rehab from an eventual surgery would be a long process but trusted he would have a chance to prove himself at the next level.
“I never lost confidence in myself,” LeVert said Monday ahead of the Nets’ game against the Thunder on Tuesday night. “Even through all the injuries, I knew I’d get a shot at the next level. I just wanted to be ready when the opportunity presented itself, and I think I’ve done a good job of that.”
That would be an understatement.
LeVert has become a reliable scorer, a tenacious defender and a mainstay in the starting rotation despite not appearing in a game until Dec. 9. Over the course of the next month, the Nets kept an eye on his minutes to decrease the chance of re-injury.
Since, LeVert’s talents have taken over.
During the team’s seven games in March, LeVert is shooting a career-high 55.8 percent from the field while averaging 8.9 points per game and recording 1.3 steals per contest.
“The game has slowed down for me,” LeVert said. “It’s been great having Jeremy [Lin] back on the court for us. He tells me where to go, how to defend guys and how to get open. He just gets me going, so I think that’s been a huge help in my development.”
But it’s his work after practice and behind the scenes that often is described as instrumental to his success. LeVert never fails to ask questions of the veterans around him. He continually goes over film and works on his game after practice to refine his jump shot, which was inconsistent earlier in the season.
“Caris is great,” guard Randy Foye said. “He’s a hard worker. If you look at him [now], he’s out on the court working. I think that’s something as a vet I try to preach to those guys.”
It’s a lesson LeVert has taken to heart.
Nowhere is it more prevalent than how he attacks opposing players on the defensive side of the ball. At 6-foot-7 with long arms and surprising quickness, LeVert has all the tools to be a shut-down defensive player. In 40 games, he’s become a versatile weapon for coach Kenny Atkinson to deploy against any opposing player, recording the fifth-best defensive plus/minus (-0.2) on the team.
“Caris’ activity and length, his speed and he’s stronger than you think,” Atkinson said. “We say it all the time in the huddle, how can we put him on the best perimeter player?”
It’s winning those kind of matchups, stopping another team’s best scorer or recording a steal, that most excites the mild-mannered LeVert.
“Defense wins championships,” LeVert said. “I love being viewed as that guy.”
From tumbling draft stock to first-round pick to defensive stopper, LeVert never lost his confidence, and the Nets are receiving the benefit.