Mason Plumlee is used to having to prove himself.
When Plumlee was drafted by the Nets last summer, his arrival was immediately overshadowed by the blockbuster draft-night deal that saw future Hall of Famers Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett come to Brooklyn, and Plumlee had to earn a shot at getting some playing time.
As the season wore on, Plumlee did just that, going from a player who was expected to spend plenty of time in the D-League to one who became a key rotation player and earned an All-Rookie first-team selection in the process.
It has been a similar process this summer with Team USA, as Plumlee went from an afterthought addition last month when an extra body was needed to one of the 12 players headed to Spain to play in the FIBA World Cup, which kicks off next week.
“He’s tough,” fellow Team USA member DeMar DeRozan said. “A tough, tough, big man. Honestly, it’s hard to find a lot of tough guys like him, especially at his age and being in his first year in the league.
As he did last season, Plumlee managed to take advantage of every opportunity presented to him this summer, beginning with when he was one of a handful of young players brought to Las Vegas last month as part of the select team — a practice squad that went up against the NBA stars making up the national team.
Once there, it didn’t take him long to catch the eye of the Team USA hierarchy, led by coach Mike Krzyzewski — his coach for four years at Duke — and managing director Jerry Colangelo.
It was Colangelo who decided to move Plumlee up to the senior team after one day of practice in order to give it an even 20 players to practice with after the sudden departures of big men Kevin Love, Blake Griffin and LaMarcus Aldridge just before camp began.
“He was good enough those early couple of days, it seems like a year ago now, but that he showed really well and made a big impression,” Colangelo said last week. “His size, his versatility, he’s low maintenance, everything about him made us go, ‘You know what? He might have a shot here.’
“He’s worked it, he’s earned it and we’ve liked what we’ve seen.”
Plumlee impressed both in practice and the intrasquad scrimmage in Las Vegas, as well as in exhibition victories over Brazil, the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico.
So why the sudden emergence? Because in Team USA’s preferred defensive system, Plumlee is a natural fit for the role filled by former Knick Tyson Chandler during the 2010 World Championships and 2012 Olympics — an athletic big man who can move his feet in the team’s aggressive defense, particularly in pick-and-roll coverage, and who doesn’t need the ball offensively outside of some putbacks and lobs for dunks. That Plumlee filled that role was something both players and coaches quickly picked up on.
“He knows his role,” James Harden said. “He just goes in and plays hard and rebounds the basketball, blocks shots, talks on defense, he goes in there and gives us energy. Even if he doesn’t play, he cheers for the team, and that’s the kind of players we need going forward.”
It also doesn’t hurt that Plumlee spent a year playing alongside one of the best defensive big men in the history of the league in Garnett, and in a defensive system that employed a lot of the principles Garnett used in Boston, where he led the Celtics to one championship and another trip to the NBA Finals during his six seasons there.
The architect of that system, Tom Thibodeau — now the Bulls’ head coach and the defensive coordinator for Team USA — smiled when asked if he could see whether any of Garnett’s influence had rubbed off on Plumlee.
“[Plumlee’s] a great communicator,” Thibodeau said. “You see that he sees things early. He’s a multiple-effort guy. That’s what Kevin is, and any time a young guy has an opportunity to be around a guy like Kevin, it’s very beneficial.
“Kevin is a great player and just the way Mason developed last season, I thought he had a great year and I think it’s carrying over into the summer. He’s a guy that plays with a lot of confidence.”
That confidence should only grow with his participation on Team USA, another promising sign for the Nets. Unlike last season, Plumlee is expected to be a key contributor for them this season, and could very well get the most minutes of any big man on the roster.
“Mason, from Day 1, has not shied away from hard work,” Nets general manager Billy King said. “He always felt he was ready to play from Day 1. With his hard work and confidence he earned his minutes.
“This summer experience will help him tremendously. He will be challenged every day, and I know he is ready for the challenge.”
After seeing how Plumlee proved himself with the Nets, his teammates in Brooklyn aren’t surprised he has managed to do the same thing this summer.
“It’s great,” Brook Lopez said. “I mean, if you asked the players and the staff this past season if they would be surprised by Mason, I don’t think anyone would be surprised.
“We saw inklings here and there of what he was capable of, and he’s grown so much, so fast throughout the season that it’s continued growth now. He’s gotten this opportunity with Team USA, and he’s taking full advantage of it.”