Nets greet familiar, healthy foe tonight
Caris LeVert has recovered from his kidney surgery in time to give the Nets a blast from the past. The Nets traded LeVert to the Rockets in the James Harden deal, and when the Rockets subsequently traded him to Indiana for Victor Oladipo, the Pacers discovered a cancerous growth on his kidney.
LeVert returned on the twomonth anniversary of his diagnosis and has played in both of the Pacers’ last two games. He scored 13 points in his Indiana debut, then scored 17 points in his new team’s Monday loss to the Nuggets.
Tonight, LeVert, who is starting in Indiana, will see a very different Nets team than the one that traded him, Jarrett Allen, Taurean Prince, Rodions Kurucs and seven years worth of draft assets in a megadeal earlier this season.
“For sure we’re really proud that Caris is returning to play. He’s incredibly well-loved in this organization. He’s a world-class human being and terrific basketball player,” said Nets coach Steve Nash. “There’s no doubt we’re rooting for him. So to see him return to play and to see him get his career going again is awesome. We miss him, but we’re all rooting for him and want to see him thrive.”
LeVert had a previous relationship with Kevin Durant before the big man signed in Brooklyn but built a bond with All-Star guard Kyrie Irving over the season-plus the two spent as teammates. Irving texted LeVert after games in the Orlando bubble to give him feedback and encouragement. After the Nets’ victory over the Pistons, Irving said he went right back home just to watch LeVert’s Pacers debut.
“Just honored and humbled obviously, to call him a friend, call him a brother. Wish nothing but maximum health and success. Love him. My family loves him. So you know, going back and seeing him is always an honor, like I said. And it’s even better to go and compete against him, because I know he’s going to give us his best,” Irving said. “That’s what we want. But obviously, what he’s been through, just nothing but prayers from me and my family, obviously, from the Nets and everyone around the world. Just we want to see him get through what he was dealing with. And I’m happy to see him back out there.”
LeVert was once considered a building block for a Nets team that made a sharp right turn two summers ago when GM Sean Marks swept the stars, adding both Durant and Irving to the roster in one offseason. That was the beginning of a change in culture from development to win-now, and LeVert, a developing player who helped the team win games, embodied the crossroads the Nets found themselves at when it was time to build around their stars. He averaged 18.5 points and six assists per game this season with the Nets before the megadeal that re-routed him to Indiana.