Brooklyn Nets: The All-Star spotlight was bright for team stars

The spotlight shined on Brooklyn Nets Joe Harris, D’Angelo Russell, Rodions Kurucs and Jarrett Allen during the 2019 NBA All-Star Weekend in Charlotte.

The Brooklyn Nets were well represented throughout the NBA All-Star weekend in Charlotte. All three nights each featured members of the Nets roster, the most out of any team in the league. While not everyone had equal success, the Brooklyn Nets All-Star spotlight shined bright.

On Friday evening, sophomore Jarrett Allen, one of the leagues best young shot blockers and rebounders, played only fifteen minutes (tied with John Collins for the least) for the United States team, scoring just one bucket and pulling down five boards.

However, as he has done a number of times during the regular season, Allen found himself on the highlight reel midway through the third quarter as a result of a rejection to a Ben Simmons dunk attempt. Unfortunately the highlight did not erase Allen’s air ball three-point attempt.

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On the other side of the court, teammate and rookie Rodions Kurucs, who was selected 40th overall, was able to fill up the stat sheet with ten points, five dimes and four rebounds in just a minute more than his Nets teammate.

While he had the honor of joining the 2014-15 Cleveland Cavaliers as the 33rd pick following his four years at Virginia and going to the NBA Finals, Joe Harris‘ time first two years in the league were uneventful to say the least.

Fortunately after being traded by the Cavs and waived by the Orlando Magic, Harris found a home with Brooklyn in 2016 and has not looked back.

With an increasing three-point percentage each year since joining the Nets, Harris took his 47% three-point shooting average to Charlotte on Saturday evening.

With much bigger stars like defending champion Devin Booker, Charlotte raised Steph Curry and the Hornets own Kemba Walker as part of the field for the Mountain Dew Three Point Contest, the Harris started and finished the event as the best shooter for the evening.

Totaling 25 points in the first round, Harris locked down a spot in the final round. Squaring off against the favored Curry for the crown, Harris set the tone with 26 points, including draining all five shots from money ball rack.

Unfortunately for Curry, he could not match the 27 points he put up earlier, as the trophy would be hoisted by the Brooklyn Nets shooting guard.

The main attraction would tip off Sunday evening with the Brooklyn Nets represented by D’Angelo Russell playing in his first All-Star Game in just his fourth season.

After being cast off by the LA Lakers just two seasons after they drafted him second overall, Russell became the fifteenth player in Nets history to play in the mid-season classic and first since Joe Johnson in 2014.

Replacing the injured Victor Oladipo, Russell joined Team Giannis as the Greek Freak selected him seventeenth overall in the All Star roster draft. After entering the game during the final minute of the first quarter, Russell wouldn’t scratch the box score until the final quarter of the evening, knocking down a pair of three pointers to go along with a trio of assists.

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As the second youngest All-Star in the event at just 22 years old, the Nets guard may have played a limited role, but his play this season showed that he deserved to be among the twenty-six best players and will no doubt not be his last appearance.

It was a big night for the representatives from Brooklyn.

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