Could Former Brooklyn Nets And Current Indiana Pacers Star Caris LeVert Be An All-Star?
Caris LeVert had an outstanding season last year for the Brooklyn Nets and Indiana Pacers.
After being traded from the Nets in the middle of the season to the Pacers he had to miss time due to surgery to treat kidney Cancer (see Tweets from The Athletic's' Shams Charania on January 26 below).
After making a full recovery, LeVert continued his season playing 35 games for the Pacers, and averaged 20.7 points, 4.6 rebounds and 4.9 assists in those games.
On the season as a whole (counting his time with the Nets) he averaged 20.2 points, 4.6 rebounds and 5.2 assists in 47 games.
Now that he has the surgery and the trade behind him, he enters a full season in Indiana with a good chance to make the All-Star game.
Why could LeVert be a 2022 All-Star?
The 27 year old is entering his sixth season in the NBA, and all five seasons he has been in the NBA his points per game average has gone up every single season.
That's right.
During his rookie season in Brooklyn he only averaged 8.2 points per game.
Three years later?
He averaged 18.7 points per game in 2019-20.
He is also a very underrated playmaker, because his 5.2 assists ranked him 45th in the NBA in assists per game.
While the may not sound great, he is a scoring shooting guard, and he still averaged more assists per game than point guards like Kemba Walker, Jamal Murray and Derrick Rose.
If he can continue the trajectory of his points per game average going up every season and averaged somewhere in the 22-24 PPG range while also grabbing five rebounds and dishing out five assists that's an All-Star.
Especially if the Pacers are a good team.
The only knock on LeVert last season?
His shooting percentage was low (32.6% from 3P), and he will need to be more efficient, but the surgery and trade have to be taken into account for his lack of consistency shooting.
There is no question that if the season goes well for the Pacers, LeVert could make his first trip to the All-Star game.
