Cleveland Cavaliers guard Caris LeVert recently admitted that while he’s happy to be back in action, he’s still battling to get back into basketball shape.
LeVert looks forward to delivering in the clutch for the Cavs for the remainder of the season, especially after he gets his legs back.
“I guess that’s who I’ve been throughout my career, and that’s why I’m here,” LeVert said of the value he adds late in games. “I live for those moments. Definitely will be plenty more down the stretch and in the playoffs as well. For me, I’m fighting to get my legs back. It was definitely fun to be in that atmosphere tonight.”
Acquired from the Indiana Pacers last month, LeVert played in just four games with the Cavs before a foot sprain sidelined him. He made his return in Monday’s overtime win over the Los Angeles Clippers and played again in Wednesday’s loss to the Philadelphia 76ers.
Against the Sixers, LeVert got roughly 25 minutes of action and contributed 15 points and seven assists. The Cavs wound up losing the game by a score of 118-114.
Despite the defeat, the 27-year-old LeVert clearly believes he’s capable of making a big impact with the Cavs going forward. It’s a good sign that he embraces being on the floor in crunch time.
That type of attitude will only help the Cavaliers. Cleveland is still trying to build momentum for the postseason, something that’s sputtered over the past few weeks.
The Cavaliers now have a 39-30 mark with 13 games left in the regular season. Since defeating the Pacers on Feb. 11, the Cavs have managed only a 4-9 record.
Part of those struggles can be attributed to injuries to players like LeVert and Jarrett Allen, with Allen hoping that he can return before the end of the regular season.
With a healthy lineup, the Cavaliers could make things interesting during the postseason, with LeVert ready to do his part.
