The NBA announced its awards for the Seeding Games on Saturday, and baseman Caris LeVert was named the Kia NBA All-Seeding Games’ team of the moment, while coach Jacque Vaughn finished third in the vote for NBA coach Seeding Games.
LeVert has taken the lead for the Brooklyn offense since the league resumed play on the NBA Campus in Orlando. Playing in six games, LeVert ranked 12th in points per game (25.0), 10th in assists per game (6.7), 12th in steals per game (1.5) and eighth in usage percentage (32.6). He also shot 48.0 percent and averaged 5.0 rebounds in 33.1 minutes per game. He’s one of only three players averaging at least 25.0 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 5.0 assists since the NBA restart.
“It’s an honor to be included in this, especially with some of the guys on the list,” LeVert said. “All those boys are wonderful players in their own right. So it’s great to get some recognition, but as a team, we’re looking for the playoffs right now. That’s where we focus.”
LeVert has two 30-point games, 34 against Washington and 37 against Portland. He has thirteen assists in his career in a win over the LA Clippers, and since becoming a game creator, he has averaged 9.6 assists in his last 3 games.
“A wonderful compliment to what Caris is capable of with our team,” Vaughn said. “His ability to respond, face the challenge and respond to it. We are all human and need confirmation, so it is wonderful for him to get confirmation from the other people who see it and watch him play.”
Working with a revised roster that added five new players with the absences of Spencer Dinwiddie, DeAndre Jordan, Taurean Prince and Wilson Chandler, Vaughn guided the Nets to a 5-3 record since the NBA reboot, securing the seventh seed in the NBA playoffs that opened for Brooklyn opposite Toronto on Monday. The Nets had one of the highest effective offenses in Orlando, qualifying at the 10th sensible top in the offensive ranking, consistent gambling issues and cash goals.
“That credit is for the players, man,” Vaughn said. “Our functionality team and the other people who are part of the essential component, the paintings they make to prepare our boys to play and react from one game to another, manage the minutes, manage in general how our boys feel with fitness and pace. It’s wonderful to be a component of that synergy and connection with our group, and players deserve credits in all honesty. It’s the boys who make the play. I’m a little send in this, I check to put them in the right positions.”