Atkinson: Kurucs has run into wall

Kenny Atkinson admitted the obvious: Rodions Kurucs has hit the dreaded rookie wall.

The impressive first-year forward from Latvia, who has been such a pleasant second-round surprise, hasn’t reached double figures in his past eight games, averaging a paltry six points in that stretch while hitting just 5of-28 3-point attempts.

“He’s hitting the wall a little bit. To be expected,” the Nets coach said. “But for us to keep moving up, we need him to get back to being ‘Rodi.’ It’s not just his shooting. It’s his steals and his rebounds, and his energy and his activity.”

The league has now seen a lot of Kurucs, and teams may be better equipped to defend him.

“He’s going to have to adjust a little and we’re going to have to adjust a little, whether that’s putting him with different lineups and figuring that out,” Atkinson said. “I think we can do a better job [helping him].”

➤ Guard Caris LeVert came through his first game back after three months on the shelf fine physically and will likely see more minutes on Monday against the Raptors. In Friday’s loss to the Bulls, LeVert had 11 points, five steals and four assists in 15 minutes.

“I thought physically, he looked really good,” Atkinson said of LeVert, who missed 42 games with a dislocated right foot. “To me, it was better than I expected. He had a really good practice today.”

➤ The Nets could be without forward DeMarre Carroll (left knee soreness) Monday against the Raptors, according to Atkinson. He is being listed as questionable. Forward Jared Dudley (left hamstring strain) is making progress, but has yet to practice with the team and will miss his 14th straight game. There remains no timetable for the return of point guard Spencer Dinwiddie (torn ligaments in his right thumb). He was working out in practice, but shooting only with his left hand.