Payton Prichard. Malik Beasley. De’Andre Hunter. Those are the names leading the Sixth Man of the Year race heading into the second half of the season. There is no true favorite, though, and with so much basketball left to be played, the award is still anyone’s for the taking.
One dark horse candidate for the title of league’s best reserve is Caris LeVert. For years, he was one of the most impactful sixth men in basketball for the Cavaliers. He’s now a member of the Atlanta Hawks after the trade deadline, and he’s already playing the same significant bench role he was in Cleveland. The path is laid out for him to ascend the 6MOY ladder. LeVert is maximizing his value as a player. He’s a supplementary superhero, and it’s because he’s completely changed the way he plays the game.
Modern offenses emphasize two shots: layups and catch-and-shoot threes. The focus on these two high-value looks is driven by analytics, and the increasing popularity of this philosophy has led to teams scoring more effectively than ever before. Role players are programmed to only shoot if they’re at the rim or behind the arc. Guys who can’t play that way are pushed out of rotations.
Caris LeVert rebelled against that revolution when he was coming up. He was in love with the mid-range. In the three highest scoring seasons of his career (2019-20, 2020-21, and 2021-22), he took well over 15% of his shots between 10-16 feet. Many of those attempts were difficult and highly-contested. That shot diet would make many coaches and GMs cringe. However, he was really good at what he did.
LeVert’s creativity has always been off the charts. He’s a crafty, skilled, and uber-confident bucket-getter. The Michigan product was able to carry teams offensively for stretches because he could score from everywhere when he got hot. The virtually unguardable nature of younger LeVert’s scoring earned him the nickname Baby Durant. You can’t blame Brooklyn (LeVert’s first team) for living with his (sometimes) unideal playstyle. He had many star moments for them, including a 51-point outing in March 2020 where he single-handedly willed his team to a win over the Celtics in clutch time. There was a world where LeVert became a certified All-Star, and the Nets were right to gamble on that potential being realized.
As he got older, though, things got murky. LeVert couldn’t consistently produce at a level that justified his tendencies. When he joined Cleveland in 2022, it was clear that he would have to accept a smaller role to succeed for a winning team. They say real hoopers always figure it out, and that’s what LeVert did. He embraced a more off-ball-centric role and got better in it with the passing of each year. This current season has arguably been his best since his first with the Cavs, even though his scoring average is lower than it’s been since his rookie year.
The main part of LeVert’s new job description is to cut down on middies and focus on layups and threes. He’s taking the most threes of his career this season, with just shy of 50% of his shots coming from outside. The Ohio native is very content parking in the corner and letting it fly when the ball comes his way. He’s hit 47.2% of his corner threes this year, and that marksmanship makes him a great fit next to ball-dominant stars like Trae Young. When LeVert isn’t catching fire from deep, he’s knifing his way to the rim with the same dexterity that made him an on-ball weapon.
While LeVert has excelled scoring in modern fashion, the most impressive part of his game currently is his passing. As he’s gotten older, his feel as a playmaker has grown steadily. The veteran wing can dish all types of dimes, but he’s at his best leveraging his scoring gravity to generate kickouts while driving. According to Centers Culture, 30.9% of his assists come from drives, a 93rd percentile rate. LeVert has found the perfect balance between calling his own number and letting his teammates cook, and that’s increased his malleability even more than his improved complementary scoring.
Don’t get it twisted— Caris LeVert can still fill up the scoring column in a jiffy. However, his willingness to oscillate between Baby Durant mode and role player mode, and his effectiveness in both roles, have made him one of the NBA’s premier bench players. Don’t be surprised if he rockets up Sixth Man of the Year rankings in the coming months.
The Bench Mob Blog 