Healthy and feeling at home, Nets’ vet takes on leadership role
He arrived only a few months ago, but Nets forward DeMarre Carroll quickly has meshed with his new team.
The nine-year veteran is determined to reestablish himself on the court while also embracing a leadership role.
For a Nets roster stacked with youth and yearning to improve on its bleak 20-62 record from last year, Carroll seems a perfect fit.
In July, the Nets traded big man Justin Hamilton to the Raptors for Carroll and a pair of draft picks.
Carroll, who signed a four-year, $60 million contract with Toronto in 2015, admits it did not work out with his former team. Over two seasons, he appeared in just 98 games because of injury and averaged 9.4 points and 4.1 rebounds — both declines from his preceding two years with the Hawks.
Carroll has proven his worth as an effective “3-and-D” player — someone who can spread the floor with his shooting and lock down on defense. He has helped franchises to 60-win seasons and long playoff runs.
A change of scenery is what the 31-year-old coveted, and he apparently landed in the right spot.
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As Carroll explained Friday, reuniting with coach Kenny Atkinson — an assistant when Carroll was in Atlanta — has him feeling right at home in the new offense.
“It’s crazy. It’s like I left for two years and then came back,” Carroll said. “You know how you come back home after two years, and you know where everything is at? You know that you left this in that spot and that [in that spot]. That’s how I feel.”
The comfort level and a clean bill of health give Carroll confidence he will bounce back.
“I think this can reestablish my career and help me start going the way I was going when I was with Atlanta,” he said. “This is the best I’ve felt in a while.”
He said sometimes in 2016-17 it was hard to cut backdoor or chase loose balls.
Through the first two preseason outings, Carroll has corralled 16 rebounds in just 44 minutes. That alone has provided assurance his health is where it needs to be for him to have a serious impact.
Yet when you ask him about his role on the Nets, he starts somewhere else.
“Obviously I am a leader, first and foremost,” he said.
That quality — which may be the most valuable asset to a developing team — has caught Atkinson’s eye.
“‘I’m going to lead by playing really hard and competing.’ That’s kind of his [style],” Atkinson said. “Not, ‘I’m going to lead by scoring 25 points,’ or ‘I’m going to take all the possessions.’ It’s not that type of leadership. To me, it’s the best type of leadership because it’s authentic leadership. He’s leading by example.”
Given he is a new face in the locker room, it’s surprising how seamlessly Carroll has assumed that role. But as the second-oldest player on the roster (11 days younger than Timofey Mozgov), Carroll has a clear sense of what the responsibility entails.
“For me, it’s easy,” he said. “It comes natural to me. I’ve been leading since I was a little kid. Hopefully, I can help some of these young guys turn up and be the next thing in the NBA.”