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Caris LeVert expected to return on Sunday against Toronto Raptors after missing seven weeks with thumb injury

Caris LeVert has missed most of the season for the Brooklyn Nets. After signing a new three-year contract over the summer, LeVert suffered a thumb injury in November that required surgery that has sidelined him ever since. But after seven weeks without playing, LeVert is set to make his return to the lineup on Sunday against the Toronto Raptors according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN

The Nets had initially thrived without LeVert and Kyrie Irving. After opening the season with a 4-7 record, Spencer Dinwiddie led the Nets back into the playoff hunt with a 12-6 stretch that took them back above .500. The injuries have mounted since then, though. David Nwaba was lost for the season with an Achilles tear, Garrett Temple sat out Thursday with a knee injury, and the Nets have lost four games in a row as a result of that lost depth. 

LeVert should be a welcome addition in that vein, particularly when Dinwiddie sits. Since Irving’s injury, the Nets have scored only 91.8 points per 100 possessions with Dinwiddie on the bench compared to 110 when he plays. That gap is enormous, and it explains why the Nets have been outscored by 6.8 points per 100 possessions without Dinwiddie in the lineup since Irving went down. 

LeVert, an explosive scorer who was averaging 16.8 points per game before his injury this season, should be a major help in that regard. His length should also be a welcome addition to a surprising Nets defense that has allowed the sixth-fewest points per 100 possession since the start of December (105.5). 

But even with LeVert, the Nets are far from full strength. Irving remains sidelined, and more importantly, Kevin Durant is not expected to play at all this season as he recovers from a torn Achilles tendon. The Nets should be a contender once they have their full roster available next season, but for now, they need LeVert’s production just to hang on to a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. 

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