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Brooklyn Nets
The 2018-19 NBA season is nigh. The first step before training camp and preseason kicks off is the team’s Media Day. The new players acclimate themselves to teammates and local media while any little quote is taken completely out of context. With that in mind, let’s look at some of the key takeaways from Brooklyn’s Media Day.
The Caris LeVert Hype Train is Real
NetsDaily
Ed Davis: “Probably the one guy who I haven’t seen play a lot is probably LeVert. I didn’t really know that he had that much stuff that he can do with the ball, his footwork and things like that.”
DeMarre Carroll: “Caris, I think this is his year. I think this is a breakout year. Not to put pressure on him, but I’ve seen it every day. I’ve seen him work tirelessly in here.”
Jared Dudley: “I haven’t seen anyone guard him here in the last couple of weeks. He’s scoring at will, he’s athletic, when it comes to conditioning tests, he’s one of the fastest we’ve had here. I didn’t know he could handle the rock; his ball-handling is better than I thought it was. He can shoot off the dribble.”
LeVert’s response was typically low-key yet confident.
“I feel like everybody’s had a pretty good summer. But with it being my third year, I feel like it’s definitely my turn to take a big leap. It’s obviously good to hear from my teammates because I feel like I’ve put a lot of work in on and off the court. Mentally, physically, I feel like I’m ready to take that leap for sure.”
Dinwiddie Understands the Business
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"Being in trade rumors all summer I guess is two pieces: I want to be here. I love being here. I'm happy that they didn't (trade me). On the flip side, the spectrum of teams calling me (meant) obviously I played well," Dinwiddie said. "I've been on the other side of the situation where obviously nobody really cared what I was doing. It's cool in that respect. I guess mildly stressful, but at the same time, I can't control it, so it doesn't too much matter."
Jimmy to Barclays?
Rondae Hollis-Jefferson: "Jimmy Butler is a phenomenal player. Who wouldn't want to add him to their roster? I feel like we have a lot of good pieces, a lot of good assets here. (That's not a) knock on Jimmy if he comes. We'd love to have him. At the end of the day you have to know that it's a business, you have to know decisions have to be made for the betterment of the organization. Jimmy's human. We know he's really talented and does a lot of things well. At the end of the day, we (are) all human, we all connect in some way. So we find out who he is and how he is as a person, and make the best of it at the end of the day."
D’Lo Plans on Being Healthy
Jarrett Allen’s Body and Game
NorthJersey
“I just want to add it to my game, I want to start building a base for it because I know pick and roll is my main thing, so I’m slowly going to build on the three-pointer. If I’m open in the corner and I have time to set my feet, then I can shoot it. It’s like Brook Lopez two years ago, he worked on his shot so he started shooting more.”
On rebounding and learning from Davis: “This year that’s really one of my focuses to do better… Playing against him, scrimmaging against him. He’s a great rebounder and that’s an area I need to improve on, so I’m trying to take little stuff from him and add it to my game.”
Quotes provided from NetsDaily, NorthJersey.com