Caris LeVert | Image by MGoBlog | Flickr
The Brooklyn Nets were projected to be championship contenders in 2019-20 after signing free agents Kyrie Irving, Kevin Durant, and DeAndre Jordan to multi-year contracts. Durant was signed with the understanding that he would miss the season recovering from a ruptured Achilles injury experienced during the 2019 NBA Finals. Irving and Jordan were expected to provide veteran leadership and help the team reach the playoffs for a second consecutive season.
Irving missed 26 games early in the season because of a shoulder injury. He returned in mid-January and played nine games, but was again shut down as a result of a right shoulder impingement. He underwent successful surgery in February, but is expected to miss the remainder of the season.
Despite the absence of two of its star players, the Nets were seventh in the Eastern Conference as of March 9 and were comfortably in a playoff position, six games ahead of the ninth-place Washington Wizards. One of the key contributors to the team's success has been Caris LeVert. Here’s everything you need to know about him:
Won State Championship in High School
LeVert played football growing up and didn't begin playing basketball at a high level until high school. The lanky 167-pound player wasn't a highly-regarded college recruit relative to other players and didn't participate in big AAU tournaments. It wasn't until his senior year of high school that he received his first college scholarship offer.
Years prior, LeVert lost his father to a heart attack. He was playing on his school's junior varsity squad at the time and committed to work hard to make the varsity team. He did so as a junior and made the all-district team. In his senior year, LeVert helped his school win its first-ever state championship and made the all-state team.
His first scholarship offer came from Alabama State, but he signed a letter of intent shortly after to play at Ohio University. However, he was forced to look elsewhere after the Ohio coach accepted the head coach role at Illinois.
Played College Basketball at Michigan University
LeVert then committed to play at the University of Michigan. Despite being told he would redshirt as a freshman, he played 33 games and averaged 2.3 points, 1.1 rebounds, and 0.8 assists per game off the bench.
His point production increased in each of the following three seasons. He made the NCAA Tournament All-Region team in 2014 and, in his senior campaign in 2016, averaged 16.5 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 4.9 assists per game, all of which were career-best averages.
Selected 20th Overall in 2016 NBA Draft
Following his senior year at Michigan, LeVert was selected 20th overall in the 2016 NBA Draft by the Indiana Pacers. However, before he could play a single game with the Pacers, he was dealt to the Nets along with a second-round pick in exchange for Thaddeus Young.
LeVert subsequently signed a multi-year contract with the Nets. He averaged 8.2 points per game as a rookie and, similar to his time at Michigan, has increased his production in each of the subsequent three years. He ranks eighth in points per game among the 60 players in his draft class.
Injury Troubles
LeVert has experienced a variety of challenges throughout his basketball career. In addition to losing his father in high school, he has had to overcome a slew of injuries dating back to his time at Michigan. He underwent surgery to repair a stress fracture in his left foot after his sophomore season, but hurt his foot again in each of the following two seasons.
Early in the 2018-19 season, his third with the Nets, LeVert suffered a devastating ankle injury while attempting to block a shot in a game against the Minnesota Timberwolves. He played only 40 games that season. In November 2019, LeVert suffered a thumb injury and was forced to undergo surgery to repair ligaments. This caused him to miss almost two months of the season.
Scored Career-High 51 Points against the Celtics
As of March 9, LeVert ranked third on the Nets with a career-high 17.6 points per game. A highlight of his season came on March 3 as he scored a career-best 51 points and helped Brooklyn overcome a second-half deficit of 21 points to beat the Boston Celtics 129-20 in overtime. He scored 26 points in the fourth quarter and all 11 of the Nets points in overtime.
Three nights later, LeVert continued his dominance by registering his first career triple-double in a win over the San Antonio Spurs. He played only 31 minutes that night, but still managed 27 points, 11 rebounds, and 10 assists.
Leader off the Court
Despite being busy with basketball, LeVert finds time to give back to youth in the Brooklyn community. He launched the 22 Initiative, through which he provides mentorship to 22 Brooklyn Community Arts & Media High School students. He meets regularly with students on off days and takes them to different events.
"We tried to pick 22 kids this year and try to give them life skills, put them around different people," he said, following an end-of-the-year bowling event in 2019. "We went to Nike headquarters, they met with the Nike executives, asked them great questions. Came to a Nets game, talked to [Nets general manager] Sean Marks as well. We've been doing events like this all season."