Steve Nash: Nets’ LeVert could play Manu Ginobili-like role off bench NETS at CELTICS (PRESEASON)
There may be a new contender for Sixth Man of the Year in Brooklyn, and it’s not Spencer Dinwiddie.
Nets star Caris LeVert will miss Sunday’s preseason opener against the Wizards with a patellar contusion (bruised kneecap) — a day-to-day injury that head coach Steve Nash says is precautionary.
Ahead of Nets vs. Wizards, Nash was noncommittal to the idea of LeVert as a starter when he returns to the rotation.
“Still working through it. Caris is a starter. Will he start for us? I’m not sure yet,” Nash told reporters pregame. “He’s so good with the ball in his hands that there’s a case to be made that he plays that (Manu) Ginobili role.”
LeVert has improved every season since entering the NBA, emerging as a star in the Orlando bubble last season where he averaged 25 points and nearly seven assists in six seeding games. If the Nets do not trade for James Harden, Bradley Beal or any other star, LeVert will be the third face of the Nets trio also featuring superstars Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving.
That third face could be coming off the bench, like Ginobili did as the spark plug for the championship San Antonio Spurs during their extended championship run.
Nash did not rule out LeVert as a potential starter in the future and made it clear the Nets’ young star is a focal point of the Nets’ offense. The rookie coach explained that LeVert’s ability to handle the ball and make plays for his teammates is a luxury for his team:
“He’s clearly a starter,” Nash said of LeVert. “Manu played in All-Star Games. Start on the bench and run the second unit, closed games. So we’ll see how it goes.
“There is a thought though that he could have more reps with the ball in his hands if he captains the second unit for two stretches in a game, then plays with the starters at moments or to close. All that stuff is to be figured out but it’s great decisions for a coach to have.”
The 26-year-old guard has started 56 of the 85 games he’s appeared in over the past two seasons and has been preparing for a number of roles this season.
“We’ve talked countless times just about me being myself, me being aggressive, picking my sports,” LeVert told reporters in a Dec. 3 conference call. “There will be a lot of opportunities for myself along with other guys to be aggressive with so much attention on Kevin and Ky. So, it’s just picking
our spots, being aggressive and just trusting the work we’ve put in throughout the summer.”
He also said catch-andshoot threes and operating off-the-ball were part of his offseason work, as those will be scenarios LeVert will face playing alongside two dominant scorers in Irving and Durant.
“That hasn’t been something I’ve been asked to do at a large volume in the NBA honestly,” LeVert said. “When I was in college I did it a lot. That’s something that I’m honestly looking forward to not even showing people that I can do, just doing it. I haven’t really been asked to do that stuff in the NBA, so I love playing off the ball. It’s fun for me. I can’t wait to do that this season, I think it’s gonna be very beneficial for all of us.”
Instead of LeVert, Nash will start Dinwiddie at the two. The full starting lineup for the preseason opener against the Wizards includes Irving, Durant, Dinwiddie, Joe Harris and DeAndre Jordan.