Category: Brooklyn Nets Blog

Nets blog – Brooklyn Nets blog. A great Nets news blog

Caris LeVert and Pacers set to face Nets

Caris LeVert showed great promise as a young NBA talent coming up with the Nets. His NBA journey resumes now that he recently made a successful Pacers debut. Via the NY Daily News:

Caris LeVert has recovered from his kidney surgery in time to give the Nets a blast from the past. The Nets traded LeVert to the Rockets in the James Harden trade, and when the Rockets subsequently traded him to Indiana for Victor Oladipo, the Pacers discovered a cancerous growth on his kidney.

LeVert returned on the two-month anniversary of his diagnosis and has played in both of the Pacers’ last two games. He scored 13 points in his Indiana debut then scored 17 points in his new team’s Monday loss to the Nuggets.

LeVert, who is starting in Indiana, will host a very different Nets team on Wednesday than the one that traded him, Jarrett Allen, Taurean Prince, Rodions Kurucs and seven years worth of draft assets in a megadeal earlier this season.

Through two games for the Pacers so far, LeVert put up 15.0 points, 4.5 rebounds and 2.0 assists in 28.0 minutes per outing.

Nets sign Blake Griffin, who recently accepted buyout from Pistons

The Brooklyn Nets have signed free agent forward Blake Griffin.

Per the New York Post, “Griffin officially came to Brooklyn on Monday, after having been bought out by Detroit. The veteran power forward sacrificed $13 million to leave the Pistons, for whom he averaged 12.3 points and 5.2 rebounds in 20 games this season.”

“We’re fortunate to be able to add a player of Blake’s caliber to our roster at this point in the season,” said Nets General Manager Sean Marks. “Blake is a versatile frontcourt player with a long track record of success in our league, and we’re excited about the impact he’ll make for us both on and off the court in Brooklyn.”

Per the Post, “James Harden — who rejected a two-way, $103 million extension from Houston to join the Nets — said that move showed just how serious Griffin is about earning a championship.”

Griffin (6’10”, 250) has appeared in 642 games (all starts) across 11 NBA seasons with the Los Angeles Clippers (2010-18) and Detroit Pistons (2018-21), recording averages of 21.4 points on 49.5 percent shooting from the field, 33.1 percent shooting from 3-point range and 69.5 percent shooting from the free-throw line, 8.7 rebounds and 4.4 assists in 34.7 minutes per contest. In the 2020-21 season, Griffin has seen action in 20 games with the Pistons, averaging 12.3 points, 5.2 rebounds and 3.9 assists in 31.3 minutes per game. A six-time NBA All-Star (2011-15, 2019), Griffin has spent the bulk of his NBA career with the Clippers, averaging 21.6 points, 9.3 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 1.0 steals in 35.1 minutes per game in 504 games with the franchise.

Griffin is also a five-time All-NBA selection, taking home second-team honors three times as a Clipper (2012-14) and third-team honors twice with the Clippers (2015) and Pistons (2019). Since making his debut in the 2010-11 season, Griffin ranks ninth in the league in field goals made (5,130), 10th in points (13,724) and 15th in rebounds (5,605). Griffin has also made seven playoff appearances in his career, including six straight seasons (2011-17) with the Clippers, helping lead the franchise to three Western Conference Semifinals appearances (2012, 2014-15). In 53 career playoff games, Griffin has averaged 21.2 points, 8.5 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 1.1 steals in 35.3 minutes per contest.

Per the New York Daily News, “Griffin attempted at least three three-pointers in every game he played for the Pistons this season. He has 14 games with at least five attempts from deep, three games with 10 attempts, and one game where he thought he was Stephen Curry and made 8-of-16 treys in an overtime loss to the Cavaliers. Griffin, however, only converted threes at a 31.5% clip this season in Detroit, up from just 24% from deep last season. Those numbers project to increase due to the talent he’ll now play with in Brooklyn.”

The Oklahoma City native was selected with the first overall pick in the 2009 NBA Draft by the Clippers and sat out the 2009-10 season due to a knee injury. He made his regular season debut the following season and secured Rookie of the Year honors after posting averages of 22.5 points, 12.1 rebounds and 3.8 assists in 37.9 minutes per game. Prior to beginning his NBA career, Griffin spent two years (2007-09) at the University of Oklahoma, earning the Naismith College Player of the Year and Big 12 Player of the Year awards as a sophomore.

Nets win streak ends with loss to Mavs

With two of the Nets big three out, the Nets on Friday fell to a Mavericks squad that recently welcomed Kristaps Porzingis back to action. Via the NY Post:

The NBA’s longest winning streak ended Saturday with a thud, the sound of the red-hot Nets crashing back down from Cloud 9.

The Nets were undersized and undermanned, playing without Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant. But they aren’t using any of that an alibi for getting thrashed, 115-98, by Dallas at Barclays Center.

“No, this is a no-excuse team. If you’re on the floor, you’re going to play as hard as you can. They just got the best of us, and they got the win. That’s all it really was,” said Jeff Green, forced out of the game as well. “It’s not about us running out of gas or anything. We just didn’t come ready to play and they won.”

Not only did Irving’s scratch to rest his surgically repaired right shoulder pare the Big 3 down to a Big 1 in James Harden, the Nets also saw Tyler Johnson ruled out just before tipoff with a migraine and Green’s own shoulder injury removed him with 3:17 left in the third.

And the NY Daily News:

On one end of the floor, Luka Doncic spins off his man, drives down the lane and euro-steps around James Harden for the easy basket. On the other, Harden lulls his man to sleep, one flurry of crossovers after another, before stepping back for a contested three that borders on equal parts un-guardable and flat-out unfair.

Watching Doncic and Harden go toe-to-toe at Barclays Center on Saturday was like the viral meme of two Spidermen pointing at one another. Doncic finished with 27 points, seven assists and the victory, while Harden recorded 29 points and six assists in a superstar showdown that substantiated the similarities between the two offensive masterminds.

“Both of these guys are great one-on-one players,” Mavericks head coach Rick Carlisle said. “They’re great passers. They can both play the team movement game very well. Harden has been in a situation the last few years where the offense has really revolved around him, and our team it does around Luka similarly, but our style is a little bit different than Houston and Brooklyn, but both of these guys are generational type players. There’s no question about it, and that’s another thing that makes a game like this very compelling.”

In the Mavs win, supporting Doncic’s effort was Porzingis with 18 points, four rebounds, three blocks in 26 minutes, Tim Hardaway Jr. scoring 13 off the bench, Dorian Finney-Smith with 12 points, eight rebounds, four assists and two steals, and Josh Richardson with 11 points.

Nets bring Andre Roberson and Iman Shumpert back, on 10-day contracts

The Brooklyn Nets have signed guard/forward Andre Roberson and guard Iman Shumpert to 10-day contracts.

Roberson (6’7”, 210) was originally signed by Brooklyn on Feb. 16, playing 22 minutes across two games. He spent the first seven seasons (2013-20) of his NBA career with the Oklahoma City Thunder, appearing in 302 games (269 starts) and averaging 4.6 points and 4.0 rebounds in 22.3 minutes per game. Returning from a left knee injury, the San Antonio native saw action in seven games in the 2019-20 season, recording averages of 2.9 points and 3.9 rebounds in 12.4 minutes per contest. An NBA All-Defensive Second Team selection in 2017, the 29-year-old Roberson has also made four playoff appearances with the Thunder, including a trip to the Western Conference Finals in 2016.

Shumpert (6’5”, 215) previously signed with the Nets on Jan. 30 and made his season debut on Feb. 23 vs. Sacramento, logging six minutes of action. He also appeared in 13 games last season with the Nets after signing with Brooklyn on Nov. 13, 2019, recording averages of 4.2 points and 2.6 rebounds in 18.5 minutes per contest prior to being waived by the Nets on Dec. 12, 2019. In 460 career games (246 starts) split between Brooklyn (2021, 2019), Houston (2019), Sacramento (2018-19), Cleveland (2015-18) and New York (2011-15), the 30-year-old has registered averages of 7.2 points, 3.3 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.1 steals in 24.9 minutes per game. Shumpert has also appeared in 79 career postseason games with the Knicks, Cavaliers and Rockets and won an NBA Championship with Cleveland in 2016.

Jayson Tatum will start in place of Kevin Durant in 2021 NBA All-Star Game

Celtics forward Jayson Tatum will replace injured Nets forward Kevin Durant as a starter in the 2021 NBA All-Star Game.

Tatum had previously been named an All-Star reserve.

Also today, it was announced that Durant’s injury replacement on the All-Star team is Pacers forward Domantas Sabonis.

The Nets today announced that Durant will remain out through the All-Star break.

Domantas Sabonis picked as injury replacement for Kevin Durant in 2021 NBA All-Star game

Indiana Pacers forward Domantas Sabonis has been named by NBA Commissioner Adam Silver to replace injured Brooklyn Nets forward Kevin Durant in the 2021 NBA All-Star Game, which will be played on Sunday, March 7 at State Farm Arena in Atlanta.

Earlier today, the Nets announced that Durant will be out through the All-Star break. It’s presumed that this is mostly for precautionary reasons.

Nets forward Kevin Durant will remain out through the NBA All-Star break

After a routine follow-up MRI on his left hamstring, it was determined that Brooklyn Nets forward Kevin Durant will require an additional recovery period that will result in him remaining out through the NBA All-Star break.

Per the team, “the latest images provided a clearer picture of the hamstring and while we are confident that Durant will return at full strength, this extra recovery time will allow him to perform at the level at which he has been playing this season once he returns.”

Durant will continue to undergo rehabilitation and will be re-assessed following the break.

At 22-12, the Nets have the second best record in the Eastern conference. Durant has played in 19 of the team’s 34 games this season and has been their leading scorer, averaging 29.0 points per game.

Nets waive Iman Shumpert, Andre Roberson and Noah Vonleh

The Brooklyn Nets have requested waivers on guard/forward Andre Roberson, guard Iman Shumpert and forward Noah Vonleh.

Roberson was originally signed by Brooklyn on Feb. 16, logging 22 minutes across two games. Shumpert signed with the Nets on Jan. 30, playing six minutes in one game. Vonleh was signed by Brooklyn on Feb. 8, seeing action in 11 minutes over four games.

James Harden, Damian Lillard named NBA Players of Week

The NBA announced today that Brooklyn Nets guard James Harden has been named the Eastern Conference Player of the Week and Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard named Western Conference Player of the Week for games played from Monday, Feb. 15, through Sunday, Feb. 21.

The honor is Harden’s second as a Net and the 26th Player of the Week award of his career.

Harden led Brooklyn to a perfect 4-0 week, registering averages of 31.8 points on 55.0 percent shooting from the field, 48.6 percent shooting from 3-point range and 80.8 percent shooting from the free-throw line, 9.0 rebounds, 10.8 assists and 1.3 steals in 37.4 minutes per game. He notched four double-doubles (tied for the most in the Eastern Conference for the week), including one triple-double, and ranked second in the East in assists per game, sixth in points per game and was one of just two players in the East to average 30.0 or more points and 10.0 or more assists. Harden began the week by recording his fifth triple-double as a Net (tied for the second-most in franchise history) with 29 points, 13 rebounds and 14 assists in 35 minutes in a 136-125 victory at Sacramento on Feb. 15. He followed up that performance by tallying 38 points (his most as a Net), seven rebounds and 11 assists in 37 minutes on Feb. 16 at Phoenix, as Brooklyn erased a 24-point deficit, capped by Harden’s go-ahead 3-pointer with 31.4 seconds to go in the fourth quarter, to earn a 128-124 victory over the Suns. Harden totaled 23 points, five rebounds and 11 assists in 38 minutes in a 109-98 road win over the L.A. Lakers on Feb. 18, and rounded out the week by posting 37 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists in 41 minutes in a road victory over the L.A. Clippers on Feb. 21. The four straight wins propelled Brooklyn to a 5-0 record on its West Coast trip, representing the longest undefeated road trip in franchise history. Brooklyn is 13-5 in games Harden has appeared in this season and is currently a half-game back of Philadelphia for first place in the East.

Harden is one of 27 players in franchise history to earn Player of the Week honors and one of two this season, joining Kevin Durant, who captured the award on Jan. 18. Harden is the first Net to earn Player of the Week honors twice in the same season since Brook Lopez in the 2014-15 season.

In his 12th NBA season, Harden has appeared in 26 games this season, including 18 with Brooklyn. In those 18 games as a Net, he’s registered averages of 24.9 points on 50.2 percent shooting from the field, 41.0 percent shooting from 3-point range and 87.8 percent shooting from the free-throw line, 8.3 rebounds, a league-leading 11.4 assists and 1.2 steals in 38.4 minutes per contest.

The Trail Blazers, who have won six of their last seven games, went 2-1 on the week with Lillard posting averages of 36.3 points (43.4% FG, 40.4% 3-PT, 94.7% FT), 5.7 rebounds, 12.7 assists and 1.33 steals. He led the league in scoring for the week and ranked second in assists.

This marks the second time this season and 11th time in his career that Lillard has been named the NBA Western Conference Player of the Week. His 11 Player of the Week honors are the most in franchise history (Drexler – 10).

Lillard began the week with 31 points (12-25 FG, 5-14 3-PT, 2-3 FT), seven rebounds and 10 assists at Oklahoma City on February 16. Portland trailed the Thunder by five points with 4:48 remaining in the fourth quarter before closing the game on an 18-2 run that featured Lillard making four three-pointers and assisting on two others. On February 17 in New Orleans, Lillard scored 43 points (14-28 FG, 7-16 3-PT, 8-8 FT) while matching his career high of 16 assists. With 16.5 seconds remaining, Lillard completed a three-point play on a driving layup to deliver a 126-124 Trail Blazers victory. He closed the week with 35 points, six rebounds and 12 assists against Washington on February 20. Lillard has recorded at least 30 points, 10 assists and five three-pointers in each of his last four games, which ties his own mark for the longest such streak in NBA history.

For the season, Lillard is averaging 30.0 points (44.5% FG, 38.5% 3-PT, 93.5% FT), 4.5 rebounds, 7.9 assists and 1.07 steals. He leads the NBA in 30-point games (18), ranks third in scoring and is tied for eighth in assists.

Kyrie Irving named a 2021 NBA All-Star Game starter

The NBA announced today that Brooklyn Nets forward Kevin Durant and guard Kyrie Irving have been selected by fans, current NBA players and a media panel to start in the 2021 NBA All-Star Game, which will take place on Sunday, March 7, at State Farm Arena in Atlanta.

Durant and the Lakers’ LeBron James will serve as team captains for the Team Durant vs. Team LeBron matchup and draft rosters from the pool of players voted as starters and reserves in each conference. TNT will air the 2021 NBA All-Star Draft on Thursday, March 4, at 8 p.m. ET.

Irving has been named an All-Star for the seventh time in his career and has been selected as a starter for the fifth time. The 2014 All-Star Game MVP has averaged 28.3 points (seventh in the league and fourth in the East), 4.6 rebounds, 5.7 assists and 1.1 steals in 35.3 minutes per game while shooting 53.4 percent from the field, 44.2 percent from 3-point range and 91.8 percent from the free-throw line (seventh in the league) across 20 games.

Irving is currently on pace to become just the fourth player in NBA history to average 25.0 or more points per game on 50.0 percent shooting from the field, 40.0 percent shooting from 3-point range and 90.0 percent shooting from the free-throw line, which was previously accomplished twice by Larry Bird (1986-87 and 1987-88) and once by Stephen Curry (2015-16) and Durant (2012-13).

Irving is averaging career highs in points per game, field goal percentage, 3-point percentage, offensive rating (121.6), net rating (8.2) and effective field goal percentage (61.0 percent), while tallying 25 or more points 16 times this season, including seven games of 30 or more points.

Durant and Irving are the fifth and sixth Nets to ever be selected as All-Star Game starters, joining Jason Kidd (2008), Vince Carter (2005), Kenny Anderson (1994) and Derrick Coleman (1994), and just the second pair of Nets selected to start an All-Star Game together, joining Anderson and Coleman, who were selected to start the 1994 All-Star Game in Minnesota.