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Nets Rumors: Mike James Agrees to Contract for Rest of Season
May 13, 2021
The Brooklyn Nets are signing veteran guard Mike James for the remainder of the season, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium.
James has been signed to two 10-day contracts with the team in the past month.
He likely solidified his future with the team Wednesday night after scoring 12 points and adding five assists in a starting role during Brooklyn's 128-116 win over the San Antonio Spurs.
James, 30, came into the contest averaging 6.6 points and 3.6 assists for the Nets in 10 games (16.6 MPG), providing the team solid minutes coming off the bench.
That he's back in the NBA is noteworthy. Before this season he last played in the league in the 2017-18 campaign for the New Orleans Pelicans, spending three seasons overseas with CSKA Moscow.
He's been thankful for another chance in the NBA, as he told reporters Wednesday:
"It's not a lot of minutes for me to go around, so I shouldn't save any energy when I'm out there. I should probably just give everything I've got and you know, hopefully if I play super well, maybe I'll play more than 10 minutes, 15? That's what happens when you're on a championship team, especially like I (signed with) super late. So I'm just happy to be in the rotation right now and be able to play."
After being a main scoring option for CSKA Moscow, James is now adjusting to life as a role player. But the Nets are clearly pleased with his progression and impact.
"It's a big ask to play on a different team in a different country/league, for a different coach, different rules, to come back here and adapt quickly into a team that has big aspirations and clearly has some superstars and a hierarchy already set," head coach Steve Nash told reporters. "So we understand that it's not an easy and straightforward situation to jump into and he’s done really well."
"We love his talent, we love his potential, there's been some inconsistency in his play, which is really natural, considering (the lineup)," he added. "He's still been really valuable to us, and he's added a lot to our team."
Enough to keep him around for the rest of the regular season and playoffs, it would appear.