One reason why Caris LeVert has been playing so well lately? Advice from Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving.

Nets general manager Sean Marks said recently that LeVert continued to get guidance from Irving and Durant during the NBA’s hiatus.

“He’s obviously playing with a lot of confidence, which is terrific. He’s certainly been leaning on Kevin and Ky for that, a little bit of mentorship going on over the summertime, which is great for him,” Marks said in an interview with the YES Network last week.

LeVert had 15 points and 15 assists for a double-double in the Nets’ loss to the Raptors in Game 1 of their first-round playoff series Monday.

Entering the playoffs, LeVert led the Nets in points (18.7), assists (4.4) and steals (1.2) per game during play in Orlando. He was named to the second team All-NBA Seeding Games team.

LeVert helped Brooklyn qualify for the playoffs. Depending on your rooting interest, he also increased his trade value or his value to the Nets during the seeding games.

“He’s playing at a very very high level,” Marks told YES Network’s Michael Grady. “….I’m seeing the game slow down for him, he’s not being sped up, he’s showing great patience and poise.”

Marks also credited LeVert for taking on a leadership role during the Nets’ games in Orlando.

“We’re seeing his voice grow,” the GM said, citing LeVert telling teammates where to be on the floor during timeouts and while on the bench.

If Marks explores the trade market in an effort to put another star alongside Irving and Durant, opposing teams will almost certainly ask about LeVert.

The 25-year-old signed a three-year, $52.5 million extension prior to the 2019-20 season. It begins in 2020-21.

In an interview with the Play For Keeps podcast, Durant cited LeVert as a reason he wanted to sign with the Nets. Given that dynamic, it will be interesting to see how the club handles LeVert in any trade conversations this offseason, if it gets to that point.

DURANT SAYS CURRY, WESTBROOK PREPARED HIM FOR IRVING

Both Irving and Durant are expected to play together in Brooklyn for the first time next season. The two stars are close, but they’ve never played together on an NBA court. So it will be interesting to see how their on-court chemistry develops over the course of the 2020-21 season.

Durant was asked about playing with Irving during an interview on the ‘Tea With A & Phea’ podcastt, hosted by WNBA stars A'ja Wilson & Napheesa Collier. Durant said that sharing a backcourt with Russell Westbrook and Stephen Curry will help prepare him for playing alongside Irving.

“As a scorer, you rely on your point guards all game. So you're always going to have that relationship (with your point guard). Dealing with Russ, Steph, two different point guards, two different personalities. I learned exactly the perfect way to play that position,” he said. “Russ is an inside player, Steph is an outside player. then you get to Kyrie, who can pretty much do it all. So I feel like, just playing with those other guys is going to get me prepared for what it's like to play with a scorer that can shoot the three, finish at the midrange and finish at the rim. There's a lot of options of us on offense and I'm looking forward to it.”

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