Pacers guard Caris LeVert is on track to appear in his first game for his new team on Saturday in Phoenix, sources tell Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link).
LeVert’s impending Pacers debut represents a remarkable turn of events for the 26-year-old, who was traded from Brooklyn to Indiana in mid-January in the four-team trade that sent James Harden to the Nets. At the time of the deal, a small mass was discovered on LeVert’s left kidney as part of a routine physical. He underwent surgery 10 days later to treat renal cell carcinoma, a type of kidney cancer.
While there was plenty of optimism at the time of the procedure that LeVert would make a full recovery, there was some uncertainty about whether or not he’d be able to return to the court before the end of the 2020/21 season. Now, he’s set to play for Indiana much earlier than anticipated, only about a month-and-a-half after his surgery.
As J. Michael of The Indianapolis Star writes, Pacers head coach Nate Bjorkgren had told reporters on Thursday that LeVert wouldn’t be out much longer and that there was a chance he’d play on the team’s three-game road trip, which begins on Friday in Los Angeles. Having seen him play in practice, LeVert’s new teammates are excited about the effect he’ll have on the struggling club, which has lost 12 of its lost 17 games.
“He looked great. He looked confident,” Domantas Sabonis said, per Michael. “Really good in the pick-and-roll, being aggressive going downhill, giving us more options. He’s going to attract a lot of defense to him, creating open shots for everybody. That’s what we’ve been missing.”
The Pacers are also hoping to get injured forward T.J. Warren back at some point this season, but he’s expected to be sidelined for a while yet as he recovers from foot surgery.
45 days after surgery
It’s miracle?
No, it’s science. It’s the power of preventative medicine and early detection.
45 days break
Pacers get a second round pick from Nets
Good for him, I hope he plays great. Let’s get TJ Warren back too and start kicking some butt.
Get healthy get right. Wish LeVert the best. He’s a a SG with size. Pacers need him to be great. This is a great place for him to be at this time. Go for it.
Wow, very surprised to see him play this year. Super lucky he got traded and they did that physical. Can this qualify as comeback player of the year?
Wow, Pacers might be a problem in the east this year if they can get their whole roster up and firing before the playoffs. They’re currently 3 games out of 4th place, damn the East is so bad lol
I like this team in the east if healthy. Think all in all this is a 2, maybe 3 team race with Sixers and Nets. 3rd team being the Bucks but I’m a Bucks fan from WI and they don’t look as good as years past. I think this team is a little more built for the playoffs than years past though so they still have a chance at it. Miami clearly isn’t as good as their run last year would indicate. Celtics have some depth problems
If the Pacers can work to a 4 or 5 seed I can see them winning a playoff series
We can always see the bad side of things. If you look at the Real facts. You may actually see some good. It just takes more work.
We all think of the East as more top heavy. If you look at the records they both are more similar up and down. And West has the two worst teams in NBA. The top 5 teams in west vs top 5 teams in east. East is 15-14.
Only Jazz (6-4) n Suns (2-1) are over .500. Nets are (
4-1) against West top 5 teams. Top 5 vs top 5.
Lakers (2-2), Clippers (1-5), Nuggets (3-3)
Sixers (2-2), Bucks (2-5), Celtics (3-3), Heat (2-3)
Just for you Marty Warriors are (2-3) vs top 5 East. And (8-5) vs bottom 10 in East.
Good for him. Glad he is good. I wish him nothing but the best.
The Pacers are not a dribble-drive team, though Olidipo could do it, and Brogdan if he’s frisky. But no Dipo, little driving, esp up the middle. As Sabonis said, Levert will add that, while maintaining upright posture downhill, good for inside slips. Indy is probably waiting for him more than the Nets ever did with Dinwiddie and D’Lo as lane-drivers, so a big chance for him, with lots of usage. Now to stay uninjured!— not his history.