Caris Levert

Yes he’s a little older than some might realize, but he has some special characteristics on offense. He’s very smooth and can create his own offense in a variety of ways. I’m not a huge fan of todays game’s constant floaters….. but 1-2 times per game he will throw up a beautiful high-arcing floater the defense has no chance of altering. Barely touches rim.

He also has this one move I really like. I’ve seen it at least 5 times this year. He’ll face up a defender behind the 3 point line, cross him over & then if / when the help D arrives at the rim, he’ll quickly shift his body around and hit his man with couple post dribbles about 16-18 ft from the rim. From there he’ll either do a turnaround jumper (left or right shoulder) or he’ll do the Kobe up-and-under, pivot 180 degrees and kiss it off the glass. It’s a really sophisticated, difficult move that he pulls off consistently very smoothly. He has size, a good defensive profile & mechanics, and seems to be a great teammate.

I would go to Vegas and bet on him being at least a 1-2 time all star in his career.

Caris is insanely talented! The way he creates for himself and others is a sight to behold at his size. He was easily the Nets best player before he had the crazy leg injury, which he recovered from quite well. I’m a huge fan of his. I would love to see him in Portland to replace Evan Turner. He has a bright future, barring anything unforeseen!

I feel for this guy, the injuries he got since college. I want him to succeed and be the success story because of what he’s gone through. To me, he is a good scorer with good size and length. Although he isn’t as athletic as the other 2 guards he can get by on any defense with his iq, ballhandling and his cleverness with the ball, pump fakes, up and under, unorthodox floaters coming off the dribble, man even mobile bigs are caught off guard with his floaters. Wish him the bset of luck and I believe he can be an allstar soon, he just needs to improve more and don’t be injured.

 I had been trying to come up with a comparison for Jarrett Culver. I think it’s Levert, except Levert was a slightly better shooter in college.

 I had been trying to come up with a comparison for Jarrett Culver. I think it’s Levert, except Levert was a slightly better shooter in college.

People associate footwork primarily with low post play but Laverts footwork on the perimeter is just outstanding. He doesn’t look incredibly explosive but he knows exactly how to attack a defender to create space. He’s a master at contorting his body in different directions and changing directions, but managing to stay on balance. His hesitation dribble is one of the best in the league. The one area I think he could still stand to improve is his perimeter shooting. Not a bad shooter by any means but kind of has a strange release and appears to rush the follow through at times.  

The major question going forward with lavert comes down to his ability to stay healthy. You also have to wonder exactly what his role will be in Brooklyn. They have an interesting decision to make with Russell. Do they bring him back on a long-term deal for big money or do they let him walk and chase after a bigger name free agent on the market like kemba, kyrie, Butler. Don’t get me wrong, there’s a lot to like with the young players they have under contact, but the problem is that they aren’t going to stay young forever and eventually will need to be paid. They are going to have to decide soon if the Russell/lavert/Allen/dinwidde core is going to be good enough to build a true contender around.

needs to keep imroving outside shooting, but he’s such a natural talent and he’s fearless, has some Manu Ginobili in him…

 He can operate as both a starter or a 6th man, I’d figure he’d see similar minutes either way. I’d think it would be prudent for the Nets to make him a fair offer this summer as no deal was done with Russell last summer and he became an All Star this summer so will likely get a higher deal than he may have accepted last summer.

I think LeVert and his advisors would be keen to do a deal given he has had injury issues over the years and will be 26 the season his new deal kicks in, so there would likely be a greater urgency to get him a nice 2nd deal than a guy who might only be 23 when his rookie deal ends and knows he can then have another shot at FA at say 27.

I can see LeVert being around the NBA as a good starter or leading 6th man for several years. I don’t know if he would ever become a true All Star but he could challenge for an appearance or two and if he stayed as a 6th man could easilu be a 6th man of the year contender.

 Nets need to run the offense through him. 

 He’s alright I guess but I look at more than just skill set when evaluating a player.  Basketball is a mix of chess and boxing if you don’t have that mentality then you need more work.