Rook’s court debut on hold
Relentless. Diligent. The first to arrive at practice and the last to leave, working as hard as anybody the whole time he’s there.
That’s what the Nets say about Caris LeVert. And that’s how they say the 6foot-7 rookie combo guard came back from a Jones fracture in his foot last December — and surgery in March — to finally be cleared to make his NBA debut. He was in uniform, but did not see action in Monday night’s 118113 loss to the Wizards at Barclays Center.
“It’s been tough. The performance staff has been on me ever since I got drafted really, working a lot of hours before and after everyone is here. I’m glad it finally paid off,’’ LeVert said before the game.
His work ethic has left his teammates inspired.
“I call him the hardestworking man I ever met,” gushed fellow rookie Isaiah Whitehead. “Just to be here every day so late and so early, really put the time in to get back. He had a real tough injury. We’re always supporting him, but it’s him. He 100 percent put in the full effort to get where he is now.”
That tough injury was a fracture suffered last Dec. 30 — his third foot fracture in a 22-month span — that cut short a stellar senior campaign at Michigan.
LeVert even tried to come back that season, with an 11minute cameo in February before getting shut down and having a reconstruction done by Dr. Martin O’Malley, the Nets’ foot specialist. Brooklyn traded Thaddeus Young on draft night to land LeVert, the No. 20 overall pick. As confident as they were in his health, they were even more confident in his heart.
“I know all the hard work I put in, so it’s not hard to believe [I’m back]. The time went by kind of fast. I can’t believe it’s been that long, but I’m really anxious to get out there,’’ said LeVert, who has been arriving at HSS Training Center at 8 a.m. — well before his teammates — and not leaving until 3 p.m., when they’re long gone.
“It’s not an easy thing,’’ coach Kenny Atkinson said. “Especially in the beginning he was set apart, working his rehab, then off-court stuff, then on-court stuff. That can get boring, repetitive. His diligence, his work ethic, his character, all the stuff we believed in when we drafted him has shown.”