Timothé Luwawu-Cabarrot did not come to Orlando to laze around

A shiver ran through the spine of the defending champion when he entered the competition against the Nets, when the LeVert – Luwawu-Cabarrot tandem initiated a comeback concluded at 90-82 on a 3-point from the Frenchman.

In the wake of his last regular season games, “TLC” was arguably the one who played the fairest on the Brooklyn side, taking advantage of the faults of Rodions Kurucs to quickly enter the rotation. The former Antibes player let the game come to him, took his shots and made the right choices, allowing his team to look good on this first act despite the 24 points that separated the two formations after 48 minutes ( 134-110).

In a role of “stretch four”, the French in particular did a lot of good on the outside shot, 6/9 at 3-point, equaling the franchise record in the playoffs set by Mirza Teletovic for a player leaving the bench .

“We know what TLC is capable of. We know he’s a great shooter and a great slasher, ” said Caris LeVert, author of 15 points and 15 assists. “His basketball IQ increases with every game in defense, and he’s just more consistent. He is very confident. We tell him to keep playing the way he does whether he scores or not. We trust him. It’s great to see him being consistent in these games, and we’ll need him for the rest of the playoffs ”.

Finally rewarded for his efforts

The path of Timothé Luwawu-Cabarrot in the NBA has been strewn with pitfalls until then. Despite two encouraging first seasons in Philly, the “swingman” was then traded to OKC and then to Chicago until the end of the 2019 season. Without a concrete proposal at the end of his rookie contract, he participated in the camp of Cavs training at the start of the season before being dismissed. Three weeks later, the wheel finally turned, when the Nets offered to sign a “two-way contract” for the 2019-2020 season, the start of a great adventure.

He still had to prove himself, which the Frenchy was quick to do as soon as he was given a chance, during the month of December. “The rest is history”, as they say in the United States.

“Nobody knows how hard I worked, what I went through, how I was fired, then when I signed a ‘two-way contract’, that I had to fight to get back to me. make a place in the league. It’s just all the work done over the past two years, the quarantine phase and all the confidence that I have built up through the workouts. I love the team and my teammates, so it’s a great time ”.

The tireless work of “TLC” has borne fruit, a fair reward according to his teammate Joe Harris who recognizes the merit that the French had to never give up, even in difficult times.

“Tim is a great player, now he just has more opportunities to play and show what he’s capable of, The Nets sniper pointed out. ” This is how it is, it’s the nature of the NBA. There are tons of guys who, if given the opportunity, in the right circumstances, in the right situation, are able to make a big contribution and show what they are capable of ”.

Full of confidence

Between the confirmation of the talent of Caris LeVert, who still behaved as a leader yesterday despite the defeat and a complicated scenario (+33 for the Raptors from the second quarter), the Nets continue to find alternatives to the absences of his executive players.

With an element that emerges from the group and the game of Timothé Luwawu-Cabarrot: great confidence.

“Caris LeVert’s ability to see the game and see his teammates has really evolved, and that allows guys like ‘TLC’ to be rewarded for it,” »Thus analyzed Jacque Vaughn, coach of Brooklyn. ” “TLC” gave us great minutes, we ended up starting him in the second half because of Rodi’s troubles, but you see him playing with incredible confidence. “

How far will this confidence lead his group? Start of response tomorrow night, for Act II against the Raptors.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YpEZ9PLAdnU

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