The Wolverine

October 2019

The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports

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62 THE WOLVERINE OCTOBER 2019 BY RYAN TICE I t will be hard for former U‑M wing Caris LeVert to ever top his most recent birthday. On Aug. 25, LeVert turned 25 and changed his life with a huge contract extension from the Brooklyn Nets. LeVert had emerged as "Brooklyn's cornerstone wing," according to The Ringer, early last season before suf‑ fering a gruesome dislocation of his right foot in mid‑November that some feared could threaten his career. "In the first month of the season, LeVert had separated himself from the rest of the Brooklyn Nets' glut of young, interesting players," The Ringer continued. "His flashes of star‑ dom became more and more consis‑ tent. LeVert had averaged a career‑ high 19 points a game on a career‑high usage rate, with career‑high offensive efficiency numbers to go with it. "It went beyond the numbers: Le‑ Vert looked more aggressive, and his game had a shinier polish to it. He looked like a burgeoning leader on a team still trying to find its identity. "LeVert's high school teammates called him 'Baby Durant.' After a month, that was certainly whom the Nets seemed to have uncovered." LeVert, who was leading the team in scoring and was the only player in the league up to that point with more than one game‑winning basket in the final 10 seconds of regulation or over‑ time at the time of his injury, was able to work his way back into the lineup after missing 42 games. He proved he was really back by the end of the campaign, posting clips of 16 points, four assists and a steal in the final eight games of the regular season and leading the team with 21 points per game in the playoffs. The Nets doubled down their com‑ mitment to the fourth‑year pro this summer with the extension. In their story announcing the deal, The New York Daily News proclaimed LeVert "one of the franchise's pre‑ mier homegrown talents," and that he "has earned every penny of this new deal." He'll be a big piece of one of the most intriguing NBA squads going forward, after the Nets added Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving and DeAndre Jordan this summer, though Durant will likely miss the entire 2019‑20 sea‑ son while recovering from an Achilles tear. "The Nets have slowly built them‑ selves into a contender, much like Le‑ Vert has built himself into a premier playmaker," they continued. "… He is the bridge that connects Brooklyn's past to its bright future. … Irving might be the leader of the team, and Durant will be the best player when he returns from injury, but LeVert is the face of the franchise — the first pick of Sean Marks' tenure as general manager in Brooklyn. "He's proof that patience pays off. And after years of being patient, both LeVert and the Nets are ready for their moment." The move, locking up the league's No. 69 overall player heading into the 2019‑20 season according to a recent SI.com ranking one year before his contract expired, gained near‑unani‑ mous approval in NBA circles. CBSSports.com's Sam Quinn called LeVert "a downright bargain at this price," while ESPN's Zach Lowe re‑ ported that the dollar amount "came in lower than most executives ex‑ pected." The NFL TOM BRADY LEADING THE WAY FOR U-M ALUMS IN THE NFL — AGAIN The 2019 NFL season is starting off like so many others in recent history — with New England Patriots quar‑ terback Tom Brady leading his team to wins and also leading the way for former U‑M players in the league. Some things never change. Brady started his season by com‑ pleting 24 of 36 passes for 341 yards with three touchdowns in a 33‑3 blowout win over the Pittsburgh Steelers. The performance was good MICHIGAN IN THE PROS Caris LeVert Inks Three-Year, $52.5-Million Contract Extension LeVert was ranked No. 69 on SI.com's Top 100 NBA Players of 2020 countdown. PHOTO BY NATHANIEL BUTLER

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