Shane Larkin hasn’t lived up to the hype that surrounded him entering the 2013 draft, but the point guard is excited about how his game can progress with the Nets, Tim Bontemps of the New York Post writes. Larkin believes joining Brooklyn will give him an opportunity to play to his strengths, which are using his speed to push the tempo and running the pick and roll.
“[Those skills are] not the only reason I got here, but that’s a big part of why I got drafted where I got drafted, and why I’m in the league,” Larkin said. “Last year, I obviously wasn’t in the best system for my style of game, but this year I’ve been implemented back into a pick-and-roll [offense], so it’s really good.”
Here are some notes from Brooklyn’s crosstown rival:
- Coach Derek Fisher said he and the Knicks pitched new addition Kevin Seraphin on being able to use him in the post more than he’d been used in Washington, Chris Herring of The Wall Street Journal passes along via Twitter. Seraphin agreed to a one-year deal worth $2.814MM with New York this offseason.
- Fisher also said the Knicks are not going to get “caught up” in what Kristaps Porzingis does statistically, and instead they are focusing on “his development over time,” Al Iannazzone of Newsday tweets.
- Sasha Vujacic has taken Porzingis under his wing and the veteran believes the fourth overall pick has what it takes to prosper in the league, Ian Begley of ESPN.com writes. “He’s someone that loves basketball. … He wants to be better every single day,” Vujacic says of Porzingis. “There’s always something he’s improving on — every little thing. If it’s not the offense, it’s that he can run better, improve his body. You don’t see a lot of that in young players anymore because they come in a little bit comfortable and just different. I love that in him.”