No Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, Spencer Dinwiddie, nor DeAndre Jordan. When you look upon the names who did not make it into the bubble with the Brooklyn Nets, you would think that this team will look like an absolute joke. Despite the unusual circumstances, Brooklyn may have hopes of a playoff run if their very own, Caris LeVert, steps up big.

LeVert has been beloved in Brooklyn for some time now. Each season you can tell his confidence gets better and when everything is right he is a key sniper for the team in big moments. This season, LeVert has been a key component alongside Kyrie and Spencer Dinwiddie. With KD unavailable throughout this season, everyone’s contributions is more needed than ever. With everyone stepping up to get the job done, LeVert has been pretty impressive to say the least.

LeVert this season has averaged 17.7 points on 41% shooting. His play has been very underrated to say the least. At the beginning of the year, Kyrie was stealing the show with his top notch performances. Then, once Kyrie went down with an injury, Spencer Dinwiddie began to emerge as the Nets leader while Kyrie was out. Even with being sidelined for a few months from the thumb injury, LeVert still managed to come back strong and put up great performances every night.

When LeVert is engaged into the game, he is one of the most exciting players to watch. He has the speed and agility to penetrate to the basket along with having a decent perimeter shot as well. And throughout numerous points of this season, he has shown that he can put the team on his back and take over basketball games.

The Boston Celtics game on March 3rd is a great example. LeVert was able to bring energy back to the team after the game was nearly over for them. He had the mindset to attack the Celtics defense and punish them both inside and out. Without his heroic 2nd half performance, Brooklyn would have called it a wrap as they would have suffered another gruesome loss. All 51 of LeVert’s points were very much needed. This top notch performance is the perfect example of LeVert willing his team to a win when needed.

Even though LeVert will be without some key stars for Brooklyn, he will not be on his own. Jarrett Allen is a player who has emerged into an elite Center in the NBA. Brooklyn also will have great role players in Joe Harris, Wilson Chandler, Chris Chiozza, and even NBA vet Jamal Crawford as well. Coach Jacque Vaughn will have to figure out how to put these guys in the perfect positions as they transition into the playoffs. Despite their key guys not making it into the bubble, the Nets can still make a push if they put all of the pieces together.

Caris LeVert is no question the centerpiece for Brooklyn in this bubble. He is by far the best player on the roster and he has grown tremendously as a player throughout his young career. It won’t be a new situation for LeVert to put the team on his back going forward. He’s done it many times throughout the season and there’s no question that he can do it again.