Once hidden Temple builds his legend
Kenny Atkinson could envision Jarrett Allen taking a leap in his second season. He could see Joe Harris building on a breakout campaign or a healthy Caris LeVert realizing his immense potential.
But the coach didn’t realize what 33-year-old Garrett Temple would bring.
In a career that’s seen the former undrafted guard play with nine NBA franchises, multiple G-League teams and in Italy, Temple is currently enjoying one of his greatest on-court stretches, following injuries to Kyrie Irving and LeVert.
In Friday’s win over the Celtics, he played a seasonhigh 37 minutes and recorded a season-best seven assists, along with 12 points (3-of-6 on 3-pointers) and five rebounds. In Wednesday’s matchup in Boston, he tied a career-high with 22 points, while hitting 6 of 12 from 3 point range.
Over the past five games, Temple has made 18 of 40 3-pointers.
“Most guys who are role players, they kind of stick in their role. He’s playing like Ray Allen,” Atkinson said following Saturday’s practice. “One of our emphases to him was, ‘We need you to shoot more 3s. You’re a hell of a shooter. Shoot more.’ But the ball-handling, the defense, another guy who is a better player than I thought he was.”
Temple was sought in free agency this summer, partially due to his standing as one of the most respected and well-liked players in the league. Having him play starters minutes wasn’t part of the plan. Temple has lifetime NBA averages of 6.0 points and 1.6 assists. Since Irving’s been sidelined with a shoulder injury, the Nets have gone 6-2 — with Temple averaging 12.1 points, 2.8 assists, 1.0 steals and 0.8 blocks.
“We all collectively wanted him. Everybody checked a yes box when we were in our recruiting phase, here’s a guy that would fit in well,” Atkinson said. “I’m a little surprised how he’s stepped it up to another level. ... I’m really surprised but content. I just want him to keep doing it.”
Irving will miss his ninth straight game Sunday against the Heat. He continued on-court work for the second straight day, but his return date remains uncertain.