Official Caris LeVert Thread

[Jagger-meister]

We've got a legit two way prospect that could turn out to be one of the 5 best players in this draft, there's no way that I can consider trading Thad for LeVert as an overpay.

This kid is literally the best draft pick we've had since Brook Lopez. There's nothing negative that can be said at this point. Marks' gamble, barring LeVert remaining healthy, has paid off. we've got a legit building block here.

Sounds like someone has an ax to grind with the GM. Net Sentence, is that you?

Best pick since Lopez? Let's pump the breaks buddy. Marshon was much better then Levert in his rookie season and he isn't even in the NBA anymore. PlumLee is also an established player in the NBA. I will be happy if Levert can be a poor man's Kerry Kittles.

[Ror1997]

We've got a legit two way prospect that could turn out to be one of the 5 best players in this draft, there's no way that I can consider trading Thad for LeVert as an overpay.

This kid is literally the best draft pick we've had since Brook Lopez. There's nothing negative that can be said at this point. Marks' gamble, barring LeVert remaining healthy, has paid off. we've got a legit building block here.

Sounds like someone has an ax to grind with the GM. Net Sentence, is that you?

Best pick since Lopez? Let's pump the breaks buddy. Marshon was much better then Levert in his rookie season and he isn't even in the NBA anymore. PlumLee is also an established player in the NBA. I will be happy if Levert can be a poor man's Kerry Kittles.

LeVert is more talented and more promising than they were. He's the best prospect, meaning he has a high potential and it looks like he has the ability to live up to it. More so than any prospect we've had since brook.

[Paradise]

The Nets didn't need money to sign Booker so can we please stop with that already. It's dishonest.

The Nets traded Thad so they could try a hail Mary and steal restricted free agents and needed cap space to do so. It has been proven time and again that you have close to no chance to get a RFA. Even if they were successfull it would have blocked Levert from playing time since you just brought in two guys who are young and play his position. It wasn't a smart play. The pick two spots below us was available and went at a much lower cost. Marks in my OPINION, could have kept Thad or traded him for something better, still drafted Levert by stealing the Belinelli trade (Bogs), and signed Booker. That is my stance.

We already had cap space. Trading Thad gave us enough cap space to afford Lin AND RFAs. LeVert, cap relief and a future second rounder is a great return for Thad. We might end up with that second rounder from Indiana this year. Bogdanovic is not that valuable and he's not getting you into the 1st round or early second round.



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[Jagger-meister]

The Nets didn't need money to sign Booker so can we please stop with that already. It's dishonest.

The Nets traded Thad so they could try a hail Mary and steal restricted free agents and needed cap space to do so. It has been proven time and again that you have close to no chance to get a RFA. Even if they were successfull it would have blocked Levert from playing time since you just brought in two guys who are young and play his position. It wasn't a smart play. The pick two spots below us was available and went at a much lower cost. Marks in my OPINION, could have kept Thad or traded him for something better, still drafted Levert by stealing the Belinelli trade (Bogs), and signed Booker. That is my stance.

We already had cap space. Trading Thad gave us enough cap space to afford Lin AND RFAs. LeVert, cap relief and a future second rounder is a great return for Thad. We might end up with that second rounder from Indiana this year. Bogdanovic is not that valuable and he's not getting you into the 1st round or early second round.

I would trade RHJ and the pick we are going to have after the Boston swap to get in the top 10





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[Shark]

We've got a legit two way prospect that could turn out to be one of the 5 best players in this draft, there's no way that I can consider trading Thad for LeVert as an overpay.

This kid is literally the best draft pick we've had since Brook Lopez. There's nothing negative that can be said at this point. Marks' gamble, barring LeVert remaining healthy, has paid off. we've got a legit building block here.

Sounds like someone has an ax to grind with the GM. Net Sentence, is that you?

Best pick since Lopez? Let's pump the breaks buddy. Marshon was much better then Levert in his rookie season and he isn't even in the NBA anymore. PlumLee is also an established player in the NBA. I will be happy if Levert can be a poor man's Kerry Kittles.

Marshon was much better than Levert? If you look at both their Per36 numbers you'll see that their numbers are pretty close. And if you look at their advanced stats they both had the same PER (12.6) and assist% (14.6), while Levert has a better TS% (.577 v .502), TO% (12.2 v 14.3), and VORP (0.1 v -0.2).

[Paradise]

LeVert averaged 22/6/6 on 50% FG / 44% 3pt / 63.3 TS% Per 40 minutes in college last season before the foot injury.

LeVert has done more with us than Marshon ever did as a Brooklyn Net. Not to mention, Caris is light years ahead of him in skill and efficiency.

Looking back on it, I can't believe Avery Johnson wanted us to draft Jimmy Butler but Billy saw Marshon Brooks as his guy.


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[reanimator]

Caris is a significantly better passer than Marshon Brooks and actually defends.

[Prokorov]

hype on levert is the highest knee jerk ive ever seen from this forum... and thats saying ALOT

[Rainyy]

Just because you see him as a first round talent doesn't mean you have to pay for him at that price. No other team was taking Levert that early. We could have waited to get him at a much lower cost.

While this may be true (although I don't think trade markets are as transparent as you think), IMO it is unnecessary griping.

I certainly agree with you that you can have a trade where you WIN the trade by a landslide in terms of value, but nonetheless gave up too much (overpaying relative to market price at the time). I imagine you are probably right in that this applies to the Thad trade. From my perspective, however, I really can't fault Marks when the net result of the trade is a massive benefit. Perhaps I would be more upset if Thad was some young asset and great player, but the guy was a fringe starter at best with lots of significant holes in his game. He couldn't play defense, was a worse passer than Lopez (somehow), and his offensive strengths did not suit the modern game.

How Lionel Hollins used Thad Young probably tarnished Mark's view of him. Marks probably wanted a stretch 4 and he saw in Thad a low-post scorer his last year in Brooklyn. We could definitely use Thad this year because our depth at 4 has been questionable thus far, but I think he is a fairly easy guy to replace. If Acy keeps playing well, I really doubt I will miss Thad.

Most importantly, I think you need to recognize that one must pay a higher price to be risk adverse. That's true of any industry - you pay more to hedge against risk. If management really had their eyes set on LaVert - I can definitely see why - then it makes sense they would take extra precautions not to burn any bridges in the trade market with low ball offers, and to ensure they got a pick in the range they believed they could snatch LaVert. It's easy to talk about these events after-the-fact, but the reality is that Marks can't read the minds of the other 29 GMs in the league.

I would rather overpay for our man than underpay and have even a 20% higher chance of missing out - especially when that overpay involves giving up a fringe starter.

[Claud]

Caris is a significantly better passer than Marshon Brooks and actually defends.

Can't think of anything at all where Brooks is better than Vert. Brooks was a one dimensional player whereas CL is multi-talented.

[Rainyy]

hype on levert is the highest knee jerk ive ever seen from this forum... and thats saying ALOT

I can't fault anyone for it. There is so much hype surrounding LaVert because we haven't had a player with his skillset in a very long time. All the best teams have guards who have the speed and first-step to penetrate and kick out, but we have not had that since a healthy Dwill in the second half of the 12-13 season.

After seeing horrible, stagnant isolation players like Joe Johnson dribble around unproductively for 10 seconds every other possession, it is such a breath of fresh air to see a guy who can beat his man off the dribble, make difficult passes, and be so decisive. No one else has fit that bill.

It's early, but I am love with his skillset. He's made better passes in the last three games than Joe Johnson, Kirkpatrick, Bogs, or Jack ever made in their time on the Nets.

Can't think of anything at all where [Marshon] Brooks is better than Vert. Brooks was a one dimensional player whereas CL is multi-talented.

They are completely different players so I don't understand any comparisons. Marshon Brooks was the antithesis of a system player. He needed the ball in his hands to be effective, yet he wasn't good enough to justify being ball dominant (Joe Johnson syndrome).

Brooks couldn't stay in the league because he could NOT defend, spot-shoot, move off the ball, or pass. Basically his lone strength was creating his own shot via a mid-range game. Almost every team in basketball is moving away from mid-range jumpers because they are so inefficient.

LaVert, on the other hand, is already a better defender than Marshon ever was, is the far better passer, the better penetrator, the better three-point/spot-shooter, more decisive (e.g. fits into systems), and is superior off the ball. They couldn't be any different in play style.

[Paradise]

hype on levert is the highest knee jerk ive ever seen from this forum... and thats saying ALOT

If LeVert was on some other team we'd see the same level of excitement for his future. He's doing this coming off a serious foot injury

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[MrDollarBills]

We've got a legit two way prospect that could turn out to be one of the 5 best players in this draft, there's no way that I can consider trading Thad for LeVert as an overpay.

This kid is literally the best draft pick we've had since Brook Lopez. There's nothing negative that can be said at this point. Marks' gamble, barring LeVert remaining healthy, has paid off. we've got a legit building block here.

Sounds like someone has an ax to grind with the GM. Net Sentence, is that you?

Best pick since Lopez? Let's pump the breaks buddy. Marshon was much better then Levert in his rookie season and he isn't even in the NBA anymore. PlumLee is also an established player in the NBA. I will be happy if Levert can be a poor man's Kerry Kittles.

yall can take this dude seriously if you want, but I know a troll when I see one.

[MrDollarBills]

hype on levert is the highest knee jerk ive ever seen from this forum... and thats saying ALOT

I don't see much kneejerking, just general excitement that we finally have what could become a really good player. I think he has all star two way potential, can score in multiple ways, high basketball IQ, max effort at all times, stellar court vision and picks and chooses his spots, never makes the selfish play. deceptive speed, nasty crossover ability, gets to the rack and has range. works hard, doesn't take anything for granted. very mature, doesn't get too up or down on any play, he scores easily and acts like he's been there before.

If that doesn't excite you after seeing years of selfish dogs come and go, well hey i guess that's just you. I think the "hype" and excitement is not only warranted, but well deserved for a fanbase that has had little reason to cheer about over the last few years.

The only thing that can feasibly stop that progression is injury. That i'm hesitant about. Otherwise, man unless you don't have a pulse there has to be something inside you as a Nets fan that gives you some serious hope for tomorrow when you watch this kid play.

I dunno. I like the excitement I get from watching him play and reading/seeing other Nets fans gush. Like we may possibly have a guy we drafted that could become seriously GOOD. Not some guy we're clamoring for that's in another uniform right now like it has been for almost two decades, but a guy our front office drafted with a massive upside on both ends. How are you not somewhat amped up?

[MrDollarBills]

hype on levert is the highest knee jerk ive ever seen from this forum... and thats saying ALOT

I can't fault anyone for it. There is so much hype surrounding LaVert because we haven't had a player with his skillset in a very long time. All the best teams have guards who have the speed and first-step to penetrate and kick out, but we have not had that since a healthy Dwill in the second half of the 12-13 season.

After seeing horrible, stagnant isolation players like Joe Johnson dribble around unproductively for 10 seconds every other possession, it is such a breath of fresh air to see a guy who can beat his man off the dribble, make difficult passes, and be so decisive. No one else has fit that bill.

It's early, but I am love with his skillset. He's made better passes in the last three games than Joe Johnson, Kirkpatrick, Bogs, or Jack ever made in their time on the Nets.

Can't think of anything at all where [Marshon] Brooks is better than Vert. Brooks was a one dimensional player whereas CL is multi-talented.

They are completely different players so I don't understand any comparisons. Marshon Brooks was the antithesis of a system player. He needed the ball in his hands to be effective, yet he wasn't good enough to justify being ball dominant (Joe Johnson syndrome).

Brooks couldn't stay in the league because he could NOT defend, spot-shoot, move off the ball, or pass. Basically his lone strength was creating his own shot via a mid-range game. Almost every team in basketball is moving away from mid-range jumpers because they are so inefficient.

LaVert, on the other hand, is already a better defender than Marshon ever was, is the far better passer, the better penetrator, the better three-point/spot-shooter, more decisive (e.g. fits into systems), and is superior off the ball. They couldn't be any different in play style.

There's nothing similar about Brooks and LeVert aside from them both being tall and black. LeVert is a two way player, Jagger-Meister is either Net Sentence who has an axe to grind with Sean Marks, or he's a serious troll. I vote the former.

[vincecarter4pres]

hype on levert is the highest knee jerk ive ever seen from this forum... and thats saying ALOT

I don't see much kneejerking, just general excitement that we finally have what could become a really good player. I think he has all star two way potential, can score in multiple ways, high basketball IQ, max effort at all times, stellar court vision and picks and chooses his spots, never makes the selfish play. deceptive speed, nasty crossover ability, gets to the rack and has range. works hard, doesn't take anything for granted. very mature, doesn't get too up or down on any play, he scores easily and acts like he's been there before.

If that doesn't excite you after seeing years of selfish dogs come and go, well hey i guess that's just you. I think the "hype" and excitement is not only warranted, but well deserved for a fanbase that has had little reason to cheer about over the last few years.

The only thing that can feasibly stop that progression is injury. That i'm hesitant about. Otherwise, man unless you don't have a pulse there has to be something inside you as a Nets fan that gives you some serious hope for tomorrow when you watch this kid play.

I dunno. I like the excitement I get from watching him play and reading/seeing other Nets fans gush. Like we may possibly have a guy we drafted that could become seriously GOOD. Not some guy we're clamoring for that's in another uniform right now like it has been for almost two decades, but a guy our front office drafted with a massive upside on both ends. How are you not somewhat amped up?

Well said!

I definitely have high hopes for LeVert. That's why I think they need to find a way to get a guy at the 3 like a Harkless and a high to midrange pick to draft a guy who can be a future Lowry, Jrue Holiday or Conley type. That or get a guy like George Hill, Beverly, Holiday(or their young, future equivalent) and find a way to get Jaylen Brown, or a high enough pick to draft a future Paul George, healthy Chandler Parsons or prime small forward Rashard Lewis type.

Sign Nerlens Noel to a max and man do we go from a team with no hope to a team with massive future potential and a core all in the same age range, all under Brooklyn control contractually for the better part of a decade.

And then in a couple years, when we're breaking through with that core and we have control of our own picks, maybe a guy like CMC is showing some stuff and is coveted, but doesn't fit. And maybe then we either make a huge trade to bring in that final piece, or attract a perfect free agent and trade some of those assets for the final uber important finishing touch role players. Then it all comes together as a contender year in and year out for a 3 to 7 year window.

[Paradise]

Who's down for some CLV banners and Avis?

[Paradise]

hype on levert is the highest knee jerk ive ever seen from this forum... and thats saying ALOT

I don't see much kneejerking, just general excitement that we finally have what could become a really good player. I think he has all star two way potential, can score in multiple ways, high basketball IQ, max effort at all times, stellar court vision and picks and chooses his spots, never makes the selfish play. deceptive speed, nasty crossover ability, gets to the rack and has range. works hard, doesn't take anything for granted. very mature, doesn't get too up or down on any play, he scores easily and acts like he's been there before.

If that doesn't excite you after seeing years of selfish dogs come and go, well hey i guess that's just you. I think the "hype" and excitement is not only warranted, but well deserved for a fanbase that has had little reason to cheer about over the last few years.

The only thing that can feasibly stop that progression is injury. That i'm hesitant about. Otherwise, man unless you don't have a pulse there has to be something inside you as a Nets fan that gives you some serious hope for tomorrow when you watch this kid play.

I dunno. I like the excitement I get from watching him play and reading/seeing other Nets fans gush. Like we may possibly have a guy we drafted that could become seriously GOOD. Not some guy we're clamoring for that's in another uniform right now like it has been for almost two decades, but a guy our front office drafted with a massive upside on both ends. How are you not somewhat amped up?

Well said!

I definitely have high hopes for LeVert. That's why I think they need to find a way to get a guy at the 3 like a Harkless and a high to midrange pick to draft a guy who can be a future Lowry, Jrue Holiday or Conley type. That or get a guy like George Hill, Beverly, Holiday(or their young, future equivalent) and find a way to get Jaylen Brown, or a high enough pick to draft a future Paul George, healthy Chandler Parsons or prime small forward Rashard Lewis type.

Sign Nerlens Noel to a max and man do we go from a team with no hope to a team with massive future potential and a core all in the same age range, all under Brooklyn control contractually for the better part of a decade.

And then in a couple years, when we're breaking through with that core and we have control of our own picks, maybe a guy like CMC is showing some stuff and is coveted, but doesn't fit. And maybe then we either make a huge trade to bring in that final piece, or attract a perfect free agent and trade some of those assets for the final uber important finishing touch role players. Then it all comes together as a contender year in and year out for a 3 to 7 year window.

Edmond Sumner / Caris LeVert backcourt

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[ChokeFasncists]

It's been reported that this guy was the 1st person in and the last person out of the gym...DURING REHAB! This guy was a gym rat when he couldn't even play.

His highlights back at Michigan showed us that he was not just a willing passer but that his height helped him see over the defense to make plays that others could not.

We knew that he could take guys off the dribble because he had a strong first step.

He's a very good on ball defender and he plays the passing lanes extremely well.

He unveiled that stepback 3 last night.

I'm just happy he's on our team. If Marksinson believed that his potential could be this and higher, it's no wonder they picked him "early" in the 1st round.

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Just because you see him as a first round talent doesn't mean you have to pay for him at that price. No other team was taking Levert that early. We could have waited to get him at a much lower cost. When I go into a store and they have a buy one get one free, I don't offer to pay full price for both. I take the discount.

If Levert turns out to be a good player we still gave up a good player to get him. That Nets you a zero. The way you build a team is trying to find a way to keep someone like Thad then add a Levert.

Your problem is that you're assuming nobody else was interested in LeVert. If Marks made such a reach on LeVert, he didnt just do it just to do it. He either knew somebody else gave LeVert a promise or he knew somebody else was planning on taking him. Just because DraftExpress had him ranked 55 doesn't mean he would've been available at 55. Hell, how do you even know he would've been available at 31? Stop assuming and use common sense. Marks wasn't the only GM interested in LeVert and had to secure him before he lost him.

And let's not forget that the Thad trade cleared more salary cap space. Marks almost built a new young core with that Thad trade and the only reason he didn't was because of something be had zero control over. The Thad trade allowed us to sign Crabbe and TJ. All in all the Thad trade would've been Thad for LeVert/Crabbe/TJ/Booker.

I dont understand. We have the best prospect we've had in years and you're complaining. Why must net fans always try and search so hard for something to be angry over?

Ya, there's rumor that another team wanted him around that area. Mock draft is just that.

[ChokeFasncists]

Just because you see him as a first round talent doesn't mean you have to pay for him at that price. No other team was taking Levert that early. We could have waited to get him at a much lower cost.

While this may be true (although I don't think trade markets are as transparent as you think), IMO it is unnecessary griping.

I certainly agree with you that you can have a trade where you WIN the trade by a landslide in terms of value, but nonetheless gave up too much (overpaying relative to market price at the time). I imagine you are probably right in that this applies to the Thad trade. From my perspective, however, I really can't fault Marks when the net result of the trade is a massive benefit. Perhaps I would be more upset if Thad was some young asset and great player, but the guy was a fringe starter at best with lots of significant holes in his game. He couldn't play defense, was a worse passer than Lopez (somehow), and his offensive strengths did not suit the modern game.

How Lionel Hollins used Thad Young probably tarnished Mark's view of him. Marks probably wanted a stretch 4 and he saw in Thad a low-post scorer his last year in Brooklyn. We could definitely use Thad this year because our depth at 4 has been questionable thus far, but I think he is a fairly easy guy to replace. If Acy keeps playing well, I really doubt I will miss Thad.

Most importantly, I think you need to recognize that one must pay a higher price to be risk adverse. That's true of any industry - you pay more to hedge against risk. If management really had their eyes set on LaVert - I can definitely see why - then it makes sense they would take extra precautions not to burn any bridges in the trade market with low ball offers, and to ensure they got a pick in the range they believed they could snatch LaVert. It's easy to talk about these events after-the-fact, but the reality is that Marks can't read the minds of the other 29 GMs in the league.

I would rather overpay for our man than underpay and have even a 20% higher chance of missing out - especially when that overpay involves giving up a fringe starter.

Ya, look at Ainge, no one wants to deal with him now.

OTOH, would Spurs fans be like, Pop and RC are idiots, they should have George Hill AND Kawaii!?

Don't be greedy. Thad's not a very good defender.